Nepal-India water dialogue begins

Rishi Baral

POKHARA: The two-day ‘fifth secretary-level water talks between Nepal and India’ kicked off in Pokhara today.


According to Shankar Koirala, secretary, Ministry for Energy, Koshi high dam, Sunkoshi diversion, Pancheshwor dam, Tanakpur and Mahakali canals are the main agenda of the meeting. He said the meet would also focus on area affected by the Saptakoshi.


“The talks will also take up resuming halted projects,’’ Koirala said. Claiming that the meeting would facilitate future decisions on dams and hydro projects, Koirala said issues not resolved during the third and fourth meetings would be focussed this time round.


Koirala heads the Nepali team while Water Resources Secretary Umesh Narayan Panjiyar heads the Indian team. A total of 30 members, 16 Nepali delegates, are taking part in the meeting. Most Nepali participants are chiefs and engineers of various water projects. Nobody else was allowed in the meeting hall while mediapersons were granted entry only for photographs. The main objective of the meeting is to discuss sustainable policies and plans for carrying out joint ventures in the future. The meeting will also discuss the 13-year-old Mahakali Treaty, sorting out some controversial provisions.


Meanwhile, National Heritage and People Rights’ Protection Committee, Federation of Water and Energy Users’ Association and Himalayan and Peninsular Hydrological Network demanded a review of the ‘unequal’ Koshi, Gandak and Mahakali treaties.