After a decade and a half, Nepal and Bangladesh have expressed their commitment to cooperate on the issues of water resources in a secretary-level joint meeting of the countries’ water resources committees.

In the joint secretary-level meeting of the two countries held in the capital Kathmandu since Thursday, the countries promised to move forward by cooperating on matters such as flood control and water resources.

This is the second time since 2008 that the joint secretary-level meeting was held between the two countries. The meeting was held under the leadership of Sagar Rai, Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation of Nepal and Kabir Bin Anwar, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources of Bangladesh.

Madhu Prasad Betuwal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, informed that there were discussions on issues such as the development and management of water resources, climate change, study and research of water resources, flood control and exchange of data regarding water and weather. According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, this meeting will last until Friday.

Before this, a secretary-level joint meeting of the water resources committees was held for the first time between the two countries from February 26 to 29, 2008. Betuwal said that the meeting has concluded with an eight-point agreement in regards to the study of water resources and water transport and reducing flood damages. He also said that it was decided that the next meeting would be held in September.