Teesta’s water sharing issue: Possible to move forward only after West Bengal assembly polls

India today conveyed to Bangladesh that any steps forward on the long-unresolved issue of sharing of Teesta water will be possible only after completion of the assembly elections in West Bengal.

This was said during the talks of Water Resources Secretaries of Bangladesh and India in New Delhi after Dhaka brought up the issue, official sources said according to our New Delhi correspondent.

The eight-phased West Bengal polls end on April 29 and the counting of votes is scheduled for May 2.

The Indian response came after senior Secretary Kabir Bin Anwar, who led the Bangladesh side at today's meeting, stressed on the signing of the interim water-sharing agreement of the Teesta water as agreed by both the countries in 2011 and also for the betterment of millions of people of both the countries, said a press release issued by the Bangladesh side.

The meeting also discussed the sharing of the waters of six trans-boundary rivers Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharala and Dudhkumar and the feasibility study jointly conducted by Bangladesh and India for optimum utilisation of the waters received by Bangladesh under the provisions of the Ganges water-sharing treaty of 1996.

Bangladesh also raised the issue of reduced flow in Mahananda river due to withdrawal of water in West Bengal.

The meeting further took up the implementation of the October, 2019 MoU signed by the two countries on withdrawal of 16.9 cusec of water Feni river by India for drinking purpose of Sabroom town in the north eastern Indian state of Tripura.

It also deliberated on firming up the draft agreement for sharing of water of Feni river, reduced flow during the lean season in Aatreyee, Punarbhaba and Tangon flowing into West Bengal from Bangladesh and pollution control in Mathabhanga-Churni rivers in West Bengal due to effluents released by sugar mills in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, for its part, flagged its concern over the flow of waste in Akhaura canal into the lower riparian country.

The meeting, just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh on March 26-27, also deliberated on enhancing cooperation in the area of flood forecasting involving Atrayee, Punarbhaba and Tangon rivers that enter India from Bangladesh, the sources said.

The meeting, held in a "cordial atmosphere and good understanding," also discussed issues related to excavation of the remaining portion of intake channel (Rahimpur canal) of the upper Surma-Kushiara project in Bangladesh and pollution in Titas river through C & B khal and Janji river at Akhaura in Bangladesh.

Cooperation between the two countries in common river basin management, expansion of collaboration on flood forecasting and warning also figured in today's meeting.

Bangladesh's senior Secretary Kabir Bin Anwar led his team at the talks while the Indian delegation was headed by Jal Shakti Ministry Secretary Pankaj Kumar.

The next Water Resources Secretary-level meeting will be held in Dhaka but date for that has not been finalised.