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India, Bangladesh closer on water issues: Soz

Special Correspondent

Ministerial-level joint inspection of common sites along the border carried out

NEW DELHI: India has come closer to resolving its water disputes with Bangladesh after a recent Ministerial-level joint inspection of some of the common sites along the border.

These included the banks of the Feni and Muhuri rivers in Tripura, the Ichchamati in West Bengal and the Feni, Safititla, Bagan Bazar and Andhar Manik on the Bangladesh side.

On his return, Minister for Water Resources Saifuddin Soz expressed confidence of resolving disputes while underlining that further discussions needed to be held on the technical aspects to reach a consensus on the issues.

His Bangladeshi counterpart Hafizuddin Ahmad accompanied him on the joint inspections.

First field visit

This is the first field visit of Ministers from either side of the border. The week-long Ministerial visit was the outcome of a decision taken in the previous 36th meeting of the Indo-Ganga Joint Rivers Commission held in September, 2005.

The next meeting of the Commission is slated to be held in New Delhi on mutually agreed dates.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Mr. Soz said the joint visit to the sites was held to assess the situation on the ground with regard to river bank erosion and embankment, minor lift irrigation schemes, drinking water supply scheme and issues of dredging along the common borders.

Inspects several sites

Mr. Soz inspected several sites on the river Feni near Sabroom in Tripura where India has plans for initiating drinking water and lift irrigation schemes.

He also visited sites on the Muhuri river at Balonia in Tripura where repairs and strengthening of existing flood embankments have to be undertaken.

On September 17, the two Ministers visited Ichchamati from Berigopalpur to Pipli, where the river is silted and requires immediate dredging of the riverbed.

River erosion sites

They also inspected river erosion sites in Bangladesh as well as the proposed Bangla lift irrigation scheme on the river Feni from Chittagong site.

According to Mr. Soz, the visit had led to "better appreciation and understanding of the genuine needs" of the local people and the developmental requirements of the region.

Joint dredging

There was broad agreement for joint dredging, desilting and construction of embankments along 21-kilometres of the highly silted stretch on the Ichchamati river in West Bengal at an estimated cost of Rs. 25 crore.

"We have agreed to call for joint global tenders to make the embankments pucca on both the sides of the river," Mr. Soz said.

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India, Bangladesh closer on water issues: Soz

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