India has shelved a controversial plan to link Himalayan-fed rivers which flow into Bangladesh and will focus on linking rivers in the south of the country, an Indian minister said Wednesday.
Water Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said he conveyed the news to his Bangladesh counterpart Hafizuddin Ahmad during two days of talks on water issues in Dhaka.
“I categorically assure you that the (common) Himalayan rivers will not be included in the river-linking project. I don’t presume … any such possibilities even in distant future,” the official BSS news agency quoted Dasmunshi as telling reporters.
Ahmad expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the talks, BSS added.
Protesters in Dhaka had demonstrated at the start of the talks, saying the Indian plan to divert water from northern rivers for irrigation and electricity projects would mean environmental disaster for Bangladesh farmers.
Water is vital for Bangladesh’s agriculture-based economy and has been a key issue between the countries for decades.
In summer Bangladesh is frequently flooded by monsoon rains and melted snow from the Himalayas. During the dry season, however, it suffers from water shortages.
During the talks India also offered to provide assistance to flood-prone Bangladesh with flood forecasting and both sides agreed to meet again within six months, officials said.
Although a 30-year agreement between India and Bangladesh on water-sharing from the Ganges was finally signed in 1996, no other agreements have been reached on other shared rivers such as the Brahmaputra.
