India wants more Feni River water, Teesta water sharing not on agenda

The Tripura State of India wants to lift more water from the Feni River and it will be the prime agenda at the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meeting prior the Prime Minister level meeting between Bangladesh and India in December.
"Presently they (India) are withdrawing 1.82 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Feni River, however, they need more from here. They want to strike the final deal on the issue," a senior official of the Water Resources Ministry told the Daily Observer on Monday preferring
anonymity.
According to the Water Resources Ministry, both sides will discuss water-related issues, including resolving issues over sharing waters of the much-talked-about Teesta and Feni rivers and also Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla, Dudhkumar and other common rivers.
"Unfortunately, Teesta is not an agenda here, we (Bangladesh side) may table the issue but not as an agenda..like others JRC meeting in last two decades," the official said.
Both the government is going to take preparations to hold the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meeting prior to the Prime Minister level meeting between Bangladesh and India and exchanging views and sharing different data in this regard but Teesta is a insignificant issue here.
"Issues like construction of river embankment to prevent erosion, two-km stretch of the un-demarcated Mahurirchar land and other unresolved matters will also be discussed at the meeting," said officials.
The sources further said that the Indian hinted that agreements and memorandums of understanding     (MoUs) on water-related issues will also be discussed, keeping in mind Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in October last year.
Bangladesh and India have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 5 in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when the latter was on a visit to India.
"Through this MoU Bangladesh allowed India to withdraw 1.82 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Feni River," official added. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed the deal on humanitarian point of view.
The withdrawal of 1.82 cusecs of the water of the river are utilised by Tripura State in supplying drinking water to Sabroom town, which faces an acute crisis of drinking water. However, they wants to use it for agriculture purpose, he said.
India claimed that the 116 km long Feni River originates in South Tripura district and, flowing through Sabroom town, Khagrachhori enters Bangladesh.
According to the Ministry, the Feni River annually has an average of 1,878 cusecs of water flow, which declines to 794 cusecs in the dry season.
India and Bangladesh share as many as 54 rivers and there's only one agreement between them - to share the waters of the Ganges River that was signed in December 1996.
Bangladesh and India also agreed to exchange data and prepare the frameworks for interim water-sharing agreements of six more transboundary rivers - Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla, and Dudhkumar.
But all are pending as the last 37th JRC Ministerial-level Meeting took place in New Delhi in March 2010, while the 38th meeting was scheduled to be held in Dhaka in 2011, but is yet to take place.
According to sources, Bangladesh will place six agendas, while India four at the meeting.
 The last water secretary level meeting was held in Dhaka on January 10, 2011.
About 3,000 acres in Majorgaon, Amolshid, Lakshmibazar, Sultanpur, Senapatirchak and Manikpur in Zakiganj upazila are now part of the Indian state of Assam due to erosion by the Kushiyara, while 250 acres in Ballah, Uttarkul, Munshibazar, Rosulpur and Dighli on the banks of the Surma River in Sylhet region have also been washed away to India due to erosion on the Bangladesh side.
The Border River Protection and Development Project that plans protective work alongside the Kushiyara banks has been awaiting approval for long due to reluctance of the Indian authorities, the Ministry sources said.
As per the Mujib-Indira Treaty of 1974, the midstream of the rivers forms the border between the two countries. But as the rivers have shifted their courses inside Bangladesh territory, Bangladeshis are being deprived of their cultivable land, which has fallen on the Indian side following erosion, according to sources in the Bangladesh Water Development Board (WDB).
Sources said it has become difficult to protect river banks from erosion along the border in Rajshahi, Chapainwabganj, Rangpur, Kurigram and Sylhet districts. The rivers constituting the border often change their course due to erosion inside Bangladesh territory, creating problems for the people living along the frontiers.
Despite the Despite the finalisation of all formalities after a survey, the Indian side has refused to sign the final agreement on a two-km stretch of the undemarcated Mahurirchar land for long, sources said.
"Draft agreements on water-sharing of the Teesta and Feni rivers are ready, and they will be implemented only after being signed by senior officials of India," a senior official said.