India offers to review water sharing accord with B'desh

India on Tuesday said it has offered to review with Bangladesh, the water sharing arrangement provided in the 1996 Ganga treaty and agreed to increase the advance flood forcasting notices for Brahmaputra river from 42 to 66 hours and for Ganga from 41 to 66 hours.

New Delhi also agreed to undertake at the ministerial level, a joint inspection with Bangladesh, on the problem of erosion and drainage of Ichhamati river in West Bengal, Water Resources Minister P R Dasmunsi said while announcing the decisions taken at the 36th meeting of Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission in Dhaka from September 19 to 21.

The request of Tripura Government for installation of minor lift irrigation schemes and drinking water supply projects on rivers Feni and Muhuri by the two countries by the middle of November 2005.

"The Indian side also emphasised that none of the links of Himalayan region rivers will be attempted until the concerns of the neighbouring countries were examined and addressed in an open and transparent manner," Dasmunsi said.

He said Bangladesh's misgivings about linking of rivers Ken and Betwa involving Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were removed.