Dhaka: Bangladesh has said it is willing to
engage China for the joint-management of the Brahmaputra as
the two countries last week agreed to carry out "sustainable
cooperation" on sharing of hydrological data of the river.
"It will be better if we could join hands with Beijing
for the joint basin-wise management of the river," Foreign
Minister Dipu Moni said yesterday after Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina returned from her four-day maiden China visit on
Monday.
Moni said Bangladesh has made a proposal to China to
develop a joint basin-wise management for Brahmaputra, which
Bejing termed it "a good proposal" and promised to weigh the
idea.
Asked if New Delhi could be engaged in the joint-basin
management since the river flows to Bangladesh through India
and all the three countries were exposed to severe floods
during monsoon, she said the western neighbour should also be
engaged as it is a major co-riparian nation.
The 2,900 km-long river originates in southwestern Tibet
in China and flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in
India before entering Bangladesh to meet the Padma.
A joint-statement, issued after talks between Hasina and
her Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, said "the two sides agreed
to carry out sustainable cooperation on hydrological data
sharing and flood control of river Yarluzangbu/Brahmaputra, in
view of its necessity to the disaster reduction in
Bangladesh."
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 21:00