Kolkata: Bangladesh government on October 3, expressed concern over India's river interlinking project saying that if implemented, it would lead to desertification of the neighbouring country.

"India's programme to link major rivers is a matter of concern to Bangladesh and is a big issue for us," the Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Hafizuddin Ahmed told reporters after a 35-minute meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee.

Ahmed who was on his way back home after talks on sharing of river waters at the 35th meeting of the Joint River Commission in New Delhi had called on the Chief Minister.

The project, according to him would adversely affect the environment besides agriculture in Bangladesh as rivers were lifelines.

He said his Indian counterpart Arjun Charan Sethi had told him that the project had not been discussed with states since it was in a nascent stage.

The Chief Minister said that he told Ahmed that the river interlinking project was a bilateral issue between the two neighbours and the Centre alone could give clarifications.

PTI