Top officials of the water resources ministries of India and Bangladesh will meet in Delhi on Tuesday to discuss issues related to river water-sharing and flood forecast, sources said on Monday.
The Indian delegation will be represented by Pankaj Kumar, secretary in the Jal Shakti Ministry. The Bangladesh side will be headed by senior secretary Kabir Bin Anwar, the sources added.
The meeting takes place ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh later this month, reports NDTV.
Sources said the two sides will discuss water sharing of Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dudhkumar, and Dharla rivers.
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They added that discussions are also expected to take place on withdrawing water from Feni River for the Sabroom town in Tripura.
Further talks are also expected on a possible Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for drawing water from the Surma River.
India and Bangladesh have a robust mechanism in place to address water issues at different levels.
An Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) is functioning since 1972.
It was established with a view to maintain liaison in order to ensure the most effective joint effort in maximizing the benefits from common river systems.
This enables meetings at the ministerial, secretary, and at technical experts’ level.
Modi to visit Bangladesh
The meeting comes ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Dhaka on March 26-27 as a part of the golden jubilee celebrations of that country's independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The celebrations will also be attended by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maldives President Mohamed Solih, Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari among others. The celebrations will take place between March 17-27.
