DHAKA, Jan 18: Bangladesh and India on Tuesday contradicted each other over the sharing of Ganges water.
Bangladesh claimed that it had not been getting its share in line with the 1996 treaty, while India stressed it had been discharging the actual quantum based on the available flow at the Farakka point.
The conflicting observations came on the concluding day of a two-day expert-level talks between the two countries in Dhaka. The inconclusive meeting discussed a number of issues related to the Ganges water sharing, and negotiation for an interim agreement for the Tista water sharing and a joint-scientific study on it.
The Joint Rivers Commission member, Towhidul Anwar Khan, who headed the Bangladesh delegation, referred to the clauses of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty and said Bangladesh received 11,000 cusecs of water, less than what it deserved in line with the treaty.
He said Bangladesh received 56,512 cusecs of water in the first 10 days of January at the Farakka point when the amount was supposed to be 67,516 cusecs as per the indicative schedule. "It is the responsibility of the upper riparian country to ensure the flow of water."
But Anwar Khan's Indian counterpart, M.L. Goyal, said Bangladesh had been given its due share in line with the treaty. "There are differences between the indicative schedule and the actual flow of water," he said, adding that the water flow at the Hardinge Bridge point was more than that at the Farakka point.
