Bangladesh for joint river basin management

Bangladesh is eager to solve water-sharing problems with India through the joint management of common river basins, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali said yesterday.

"Relations between Bangladesh and India have reached new height and we want to resolve all our problems through understanding. When maximum issues were solved, the water-sharing between the two countries still remains a sensitive one," he said.

The diplomat was talking to journalists on the sidelines of the 26th Tripura State Industry and Commerce Fair in Agartala, the capital of the northeastern Indian state.

He said Bangladesh was in favour of a win-win situation for equitable shares of the common rivers as the country was facing a water crisis while rivers were drying up.

"This is also a fact that whatever water we get, we cannot make proper utilisation. We want a better understanding for use of water and a common basin management system can help both the countries," he said.

"Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has said that since 1974, the relation between our two countries is the best now. It is the golden era of India-Bangladesh relation," he said.

Responding to a question, Muazzem said Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina already expressed her keenness to restore all communication links which had existed before the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and create new communication points.

He said connectivity needs to be enhanced and widened through the roads, railways and waters for better trade and communication between the peoples.

On India's access to the Chittagong port, Muazzem said Hasina had already suggested to form a joint consortium for better use of the port and India would not have any problem using it.

He said Bangladesh would always remember the immense contribution of Tripura's people during the 1971 Liberation War.

Tripura had accommodated over 15 lakh refugees during the Liberation War, more than the state's actual population at that time.