NEW DELHI: India and Bangladesh made some progress during the Foreign Secretary-level talks here on Thursday on the water issue that has often vitiated public opinion on both sides of the border. They also discussed the Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA) that could be a precursor to normal economic ties between the two countries. Both sides have decided to set up a technical committee to decide the issue of embankment protection of rivers flowing through both countries. These rivers often overflow causing distress to people living alongside them. At a joint new conference here, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md. Touhid Hossain hoped that the technical committee would hold its first meeting soon and resolve the issue quickly. There are 53 common rivers but progress of any kind, including a water sharing treaty, has been very slow, affecting people in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins. Dhaka feels New Delhi is tardy in providing information about lean flows or possible floods, leading to distress in Bangladesh whenever the flow is not normal. On the other hand, New Delhi feels Dhaka is concerned only about retaining the existing flows without giving a thought to other factors. Mr. Hossian said the BIPA was in an "advanced stage of finalisation' and was hopeful that in the near future "we will be able to do something on that.' Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon concurred with his Bangladeshi counterpart. The BIPA would go some way in ameliorating Bangladesh concerns over its persistent trade deficit. New Delhi believes that the only solution to narrow the trade gap is to allow investments in both sides since the capacity of India to absorb products manufactured in Bangladesh is limited. More cooperation Both officials also discussed issues of connectivity and agreed that terrorism would have to be tackled resolutely since the security of both countries was interlinked. They discussed ways to enhance cooperation in agriculture and science and technology. The two sides plan to continue talks on a wide range of issues. The Chief of the Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, will visit Bangladesh soon, so also Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta.