Highly-placed sources said a recent high-profile meeting held with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in the chair asked the foreign and water resources ministries to take necessary steps to that end.

It decided to make efforts to resolve the problem at bilateral level and lobby on the world stage if the efforts failed.

Official sources said Dhaka would raise the interlinking issue at the upcoming meeting of the Joint River Commission slated for September 29-30 in New Delhi.

India plans to interlink 38 rivers with 30 canals and construct 74 reservoirs and several embankments by 2016 to store water in monsoon for use in farming in the dry season.

Although India claimed that the inter-linking would not affect Bangladesh, experts in Dhaka fear that it would drastically reduce river flow, destroy environment, increase arsenic contamination and push down groundwater level.

Discussing the Indian plan in detail, the meeting resolved to take views of local and foreign experts on its consequences and Bangladesh's future course of action.

The meeting decided to construct 'a hard point' on the Jamuna near the Bangalee river at Sirajganj to restrict Jamuna's flow into the river as part of internal water management.

The 'hard point' is also necessary on a priority basis to save the Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge from threat, the meeting said.

It instructed the water resources ministry to give priority to irrigation activities and water management in its budgets.

The meeting decided to conduct hydrological surveys as well as major studies prior to taking up important projects.

It also took up some important steps to stem the tide of river erosion, enhance food production and reclaim land in coastal areas.

It resolved to take at least two major irrigation projects each year to enhance food production as well as reduce dependency on food grain imports.

It decided to take plans to stop erosion of Bangladesh land by bordering rivers.

The meeting wanted to introduce service charge to all irrigation projects, including the Teesta Dam project.

It planned to construct cross-dams in the coastal areas, especially in Noakhali and Sandwip to reclaim land.

The meeting asked the dredger department of the Water Development Board to give five of its 20 dredgers to the shipping ministry to dig rivers, especially in the confluence of the Meghna, Dakatia and Padma at Chandpur.

It would ensure smooth river transport and stop whirlpools in the rivers near Chandpur.