Teesta Water Situation: Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has mentioned the interim authorities would pursue with India methods to resolve the problems pertaining to the long-pending Teesta water sharing treaty. He emphasised that delaying it for years is not going to serve any goal to each international locations.
In an interview with PTI at his official residence in Dhaka, Yunus acknowledged that the water-sharing problem between the 2 international locations should be resolved in response to worldwide norms. He underlined that decrease riparian international locations like Bangladesh have particular rights that they search to uphold.
“By sitting over this problem (water sharing), it isn’t serving any goal. If I understand how a lot water I’ll get, even when I’m not completely satisfied and signal it, it will be higher. This problem must be resolved,” Yunus informed PTI.
Whereas responding to a question on whether or not the interim authorities would push for resolving the problems over the Teesta water-sharing treaty on the earliest, he mentioned the brand new regime will pursue it. “Push is an enormous phrase; I’m not saying it. We are going to pursue it. However we’ve to take a seat collectively and resolve it,” he mentioned.
In 2011, India and Bangladesh had been set to signal a deal on Teesta water sharing throughout then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s go to to Dhaka, however West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declined to endorse it. She had cited the worry of shortage of water in her state.
“This isn’t a brand new problem however a really previous problem. We’ve spoken on this problem on a number of events. The discussions started through the interval of Pakistan’s rule. Whereas all of us needed this treaty to be finalised, even the Indian authorities was prepared for it. Nonetheless, the state authorities of West Bengal was not prepared for it. We have to resolve it,” he mentioned.
Yunus emphasised that decrease riparian international locations like Bangladesh have particular rights that they search to uphold. “We’ve to resolve this problem in response to worldwide norms. The decrease riparian international locations have sure rights, and we wish these rights,” he acknowledged.
Talking concerning the flood scenario in Bangladesh and reviews blaming India for the floods, Yunus mentioned that till the treaty is signed, a humanitarian method may be adopted to take care of such crises. “When the Excessive Commissioner (of India) got here to fulfill me, I mentioned that we are able to work on higher administration to see how the scenario may be managed through the floods. For such coordination between two international locations, we don’t want any treaty,” he mentioned.
“We are able to work on this collectively on humanitarian grounds and resolve this, as this can ease the struggling of the lots. Such humanitarian steps would actually assist,” he additional acknowledged.
The remarks of the Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser come days after the interim authorities’s Adviser on Water Sources, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, informed PTI that Dhaka would push for restarting the dialogue relating to the Teesta water-sharing treaty with New Delhi and emphasised that each international locations ought to adhere to worldwide rules relating to water-sharing.
Final month, Yunus, the 84-year-old economist, took oath because the interim authorities’s chief adviser. His oath got here after former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina tendered her resignation and arrived in India amid unrest triggered by protests over the roles quota row.
(With PTI Inputs)
