Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee Thursday expressed hope that a new Ganges water sharing treaty with India would be signed before December 12 this year.
"Restoring the guarantee clause, as in the 1977 agreement, is one of Bangladesh's top priorities in the new treaty," Anee told reporters after a seminar titled "Rethinking the Future of Water: Youth Leadership, Justice and Cooperation," organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).
The minister said the existing 30-year agreement would expire on December 12. "A five-year agreement signed in 1977 during the tenure of then president Ziaur Rahman contained a guarantee clause but the provision was dropped when the new treaty was signed in 1996."
"We must conclude a new Ganges water treaty before December 12," Anee said, adding that Bangladesh and India are working regularly through the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC).
"Based on meetings between the two countries, Bangladesh is optimistic that the new treaty will be finalised ahead of the deadline,” said the minister.
The minister also said work on the Padma Barrage would become visible between January and March next year.
The government is also moving ahead with a plan to complete the feasibility study of the Teesta multipurpose project and begin main construction in 2027, he added.
Describing the Padma Barrage and the Teesta Master Plan as mega projects of great importance, Anee said about one-third of the country's population would benefit once they are implemented.
The Padma Barrage project has already been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), he added.
"We hope the work will become visible sometime in January, February or March next year," he said.
On the Teesta Master Plan, the minister said it was another major challenge for the government.
"The Teesta is a swift-flowing river, and people in the downstream areas have long been suffering because of water coming from upstream," he said, stressing the need for technical support from local and foreign experts.
He said discussions have been held with experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), who have been given responsibility in this regard, while many other local and international experts have also been consulted.
"The feasibility study of the Teesta project will begin very soon, and main work will start based on that study," he said, expressing hope that the necessary work, including the feasibility study, would be completed in 2027 and the main work launched in the same year.
Asked whether there was any foreign pressure or obstacle regarding the Padma Barrage and Teesta projects, the minister said people living along the Padma and the Teesta are citizens of Bangladesh.
"The interests and expectations of the people of the country are the biggest concern for me," he said, adding that the government's main goal was to work for their welfare.
Speaking about the progress of the Padma Barrage, he said the project's feasibility study took a long time, from 2004 to 2016, and was not implemented afterwards.
"The present government finalised the matter and started work within a few months of taking office," he said.
Noting that a study for a project as large as the Teesta cannot be completed overnight or in a month or two, the minister said previous authorities did not seek adequate technical support to finish the job.
"The present government wants to complete the necessary work on its own initiative and give the Teesta project a visible shape," he added.