In a significant step forward on the Teesta waters sharing issue, India and Bangladesh have reached an understanding that will pave the way toward finalisation of an agreement on the issue within a year. The two sides exchanged draft documents during the two-day ministerial-level 37th Joint River Commission talks that concluded in New Delhi on Friday.

During the talks Bangladesh proposed a draft interim agreement, while the Indian side mooted a 'statement of principles' covering modalities and methodology for the sharing of the river's waters in the dry season. The two documents would now be reconciled at the official level talks.

The Joint River Commission is headed by Bangladesh water resources minister Ramesh Chandra Sen and India's water resources minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. Talks on the issue have been revived after a five year hiatus.

West Bengal water resources minister Naskar and Tripura water resources secretary also participated in the talks which covered sharing of waters of rivers Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, and Gumti which flow through Tripura, and Dharla and Dudkumar which flow through West Bengal.

Among the numerous topics that came up for discussion were embankment repair and bank protection, cooperation in areas of flood forecasting, warning arrangements, and flood management measures. Dredging of Ichhamati river, Tipaimukh dam project and river inter-linking project in India were also discussed.

Officials say, India has agreed to share flood projection data on continuous basis and to enhance the lead time to more than 57 hours to warn in advance of floods. India has also agreed to convene a trilateral meeting with Bangladesh and Nepal on the Farakka barrage issue.

Both sides expressed satisfaction at the bank protection and embankments repair works under progress at several sites in both India and Bangladesh even as they identified 22 new sites in Bangladesh and 12 new Indian sites for this.

They also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing dredging of Ichhamati river and Dhaka agreed to allow India to draw 1.82 cusec of water from Feni river for drinking water supply schemes.

The Bangladeshi delegation appreciated India's reassurance on the Tipaimukh project as also on the assurance of addressing Bangladesh's concerns over the proposed rivers linking project in India.

Bansal said, the two sides exchanged draft documents that mandated that the respective water resources secretaries would ''take up the issue from here''. He added that the next JRC would be held 'at the earliest.'

According to an official statement, the water resource secretaries of the two countries would examine the drafts presented by both sides ''towards an expeditious conclusion of an interim agreement on Teesta.''