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Dipu Moni claims due share received
The foreign minister, Dipu Moni, on Friday claimed Bangladesh got its due share of the Ganges water at the Farakka Barrage point in 2009 although Joint River Commission records say it was deprived of at least 18,583 cusecs of water of its due share.
'The Awami League government signed the Ganges Water Treaty on December 12, 1996 and we are getting our due share at Farakka,' the foreign minister said as she talked with reporters about Tipaimukh dam after inaugurating a fair organised by the Foreign Office Wives' Association at the state guesthouse Padma.
The official records available with the Joint River Commission, however, do not conform to the minister's claim.According to a release issued by the commission on June 1, Bangladesh got 5,24,058 cusecs of water at the Farakka point during the water sharing period between January 1 and May 31. The due share was 5,42,641 cusecs, according to the treaty.
A close examination of the records also showed although Bangladesh had been guaranteed 35,000 cusecs of water during March 11–20, April 1–10 and April 21–30, the flow of water in the River Padma at the Hardinge Bridge point was 34,676 cusecs, 29,286 cusecs and 30,684 cusecs.
http://www.newagebd.com/2009/jun/20/front.html#11 |
