[🇧🇩] India's Water Terrorism Against Bangladesh

[Saif]

শেখ হাসিনার চক্রান্ত | শেখ হাসিনার ফানি কার্টুন |শেখ হাসিনা বনাম ইবলিশ শয়তান

 

[Saif]

The following video talks about Teesta Mega Project proposed by China. It is my understanding that if Bangladesh gives a go ahead to Chinese proposal, it will bring enormous economic, environmental and strategic benefits to Bangladesh. Hope the Interim Government takes prompt action to award the contract to China.

 

[Saif]

In conversation with Syeda Rizwana Hasan: ‘It’s been most challenging to reach those marooned in Feni’

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the environment ministry, speaks with The Daily Star about the ongoing floods.

www.thedailystar.net

In conversation with Syeda Rizwana Hasan: ‘It’s been most challenging to reach those marooned in Feni’

VISUAL: STAR

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, discusses the severity of the floods, challenges of rescue efforts in Feni and next steps of the interim government in addressing this unexpected national crisis in an interview with Sushmita S Preetha of The Daily Star.

Flooding has taken a dire turn in the country within a very short time. Feni, in particular, has not faced such a critical situation in living memory. What's the latest update from the ground?

We are hearing the same thing on the ground. There has been flooding in Feni before, but never to such an extent. Feni locals are not used to such terrible flash floods, neither are government and non-government authorities. Now we are hearing that water is coming into the city as well, which is a matter of great concern. The most challenging aspect has been reaching remote areas and carrying out rescue operations. On Wednesday night, there was no electricity or mobile network, so the rescue mission became very difficult. We could not restore electricity as there was the risk of electrocution. Most of the rescue operation has to be conducted during the day, so the situation really is severe in those areas.

What immediate measures are the interim government taking to help the affected communities?

There is enough relief to provide immediate support, as per government data. But the real issue, as I said before, is accessing the affected people. One of the demands coming out of the flood-affected areas has been to use helicopters to rescue those who are marooned, but we are not able to do so because the weather is still quite treacherous, so helicopters still cannot reach those areas. There is also a demand that helicopters be used to provide relief; even that is not possible at the moment because 1) there is too much water, and 2) when you drop relief from a helicopter, people rush towards it and there is a risk of loss of life, which we must avoid. Right now, we are taking urgent measures to rescue people; the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is sending boats, the army is there, a lot of volunteers are working; but then again, they are faced with difficulty in accessing places where people are trapped.

Excessive rain and hillside runoff are causing the flood. But many are also speculating that the situation has worsened because a dam in India's Tripura has been opened. What is your take on this?

This is not a matter of personal opinion. It is a government-to-government matter. There has been a lot of rain, and as a result, some dams have been opened on the Indian side. What we are trying to figure out is whether we were told before the [Tripura] dam was opened. We may not have a treaty on this particular river, but there are international treaties—such as the no-harm principle, principle of cooperation—on how to manage transboundary or shared resources between countries. Our chief adviser is set to speak with the Indian prime minister and raise these concerns.

The other issue is, why do we only have agreements on eight rivers when we share so many rivers with India? The chief adviser will address what happened in this particular instance, but he will also discuss and prioritise how to prevent such things from happening in the future.

The climatic threats should be taken as an opportunity to start dialogue and reach agreement for basin wide river management. The challenges include involving all basin countries within the framework of existing agreements, getting consent of the upper riparian countries that are naturally placed in advantageous position, adhering to the principles, norms and processes prescribed in the 1997 UN Convention as none of the riparian countries is a party to it and of course putting in place an effective dispute resolution mechanism.

How is the shuffling of the local government going to affect disaster and relief management?

A local government is, of course, of tremendous help in such situations. Even though there has been a reshuffling in local government, it is not that it has collapsed. Someone from each of those local government offices has been appointed as the administrator. And during disasters, as you also know, one institution may be tasked with the primary role, but all institutions must come together and give their all. To ensure that all departments and ministries can work effectively and urgently together, the disaster management ministry, along with the ministries of fisheries and livestock, agriculture, health, etc, is taking coordinated efforts at the field level as well as the national level.

The adviser for disaster management and relief, who could not go earlier because of bad weather, went to Feni today. He may not have been able to visit the remote areas, but he will oversee the coordination from a nearby area.

Besides Feni, there are other districts such as Cumilla, Khagrachhari, etc, which have also been affected by the flash floods. What steps are you taking there?

The situation in Feni is particularly bad, so we are giving our utmost attention there. But local government agencies, ministries, and the army have all been instructed to do their due diligence in other affected areas, and they are being deployed in the places where the embankments have not broken yet, and to ensure that they are ready with whatever is necessary to tackle the situation. Every area is getting attention, but we are particularly worried about Feni because the communication system there has broken down completely.

Many have also questioned the government's poor river conservation and management initiatives amid the increasing intensity and frequency of floods in the country.

Today, we discussed in a meeting that in many areas, water is not receding because of the arbitrary way in which embankments, bridges and/or culverts have been constructed. Since this is a flash flood, when the rain lets up, the rainwater is supposed to recede quickly. There may be river erosion at that time. However, when the water recedes, there must be no obstruction. So, the bigger concern as to whether we have done adequate river management keeping in mind how flood-prone we are was discussed, though the immediate focus is now on rescue and rehabilitation. I have long been saying that our rivers are losing navigability. We have to address these wider concerns in the long run.​

 

[Bilal9]

In conversation with Syeda Rizwana Hasan: ‘It’s been most challenging to reach those marooned in Feni’

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the environment ministry, speaks with The Daily Star about the ongoing floods.

www.thedailystar.net

In conversation with Syeda Rizwana Hasan: ‘It’s been most challenging to reach those marooned in Feni’

View attachment 7770
VISUAL: STAR

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, discusses the severity of the floods, challenges of rescue efforts in Feni and next steps of the interim government in addressing this unexpected national crisis in an interview with Sushmita S Preetha of The Daily Star.

Flooding has taken a dire turn in the country within a very short time. Feni, in particular, has not faced such a critical situation in living memory. What's the latest update from the ground?

We are hearing the same thing on the ground. There has been flooding in Feni before, but never to such an extent. Feni locals are not used to such terrible flash floods, neither are government and non-government authorities. Now we are hearing that water is coming into the city as well, which is a matter of great concern. The most challenging aspect has been reaching remote areas and carrying out rescue operations. On Wednesday night, there was no electricity or mobile network, so the rescue mission became very difficult. We could not restore electricity as there was the risk of electrocution. Most of the rescue operation has to be conducted during the day, so the situation really is severe in those areas.

What immediate measures are the interim government taking to help the affected communities?

There is enough relief to provide immediate support, as per government data. But the real issue, as I said before, is accessing the affected people. One of the demands coming out of the flood-affected areas has been to use helicopters to rescue those who are marooned, but we are not able to do so because the weather is still quite treacherous, so helicopters still cannot reach those areas. There is also a demand that helicopters be used to provide relief; even that is not possible at the moment because 1) there is too much water, and 2) when you drop relief from a helicopter, people rush towards it and there is a risk of loss of life, which we must avoid. Right now, we are taking urgent measures to rescue people; the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is sending boats, the army is there, a lot of volunteers are working; but then again, they are faced with difficulty in accessing places where people are trapped.

Excessive rain and hillside runoff are causing the flood. But many are also speculating that the situation has worsened because a dam in India's Tripura has been opened. What is your take on this?

This is not a matter of personal opinion. It is a government-to-government matter. There has been a lot of rain, and as a result, some dams have been opened on the Indian side. What we are trying to figure out is whether we were told before the [Tripura] dam was opened. We may not have a treaty on this particular river, but there are international treaties—such as the no-harm principle, principle of cooperation—on how to manage transboundary or shared resources between countries. Our chief adviser is set to speak with the Indian prime minister and raise these concerns.

The other issue is, why do we only have agreements on eight rivers when we share so many rivers with India? The chief adviser will address what happened in this particular instance, but he will also discuss and prioritise how to prevent such things from happening in the future.

The climatic threats should be taken as an opportunity to start dialogue and reach agreement for basin wide river management. The challenges include involving all basin countries within the framework of existing agreements, getting consent of the upper riparian countries that are naturally placed in advantageous position, adhering to the principles, norms and processes prescribed in the 1997 UN Convention as none of the riparian countries is a party to it and of course putting in place an effective dispute resolution mechanism.

How is the shuffling of the local government going to affect disaster and relief management?

A local government is, of course, of tremendous help in such situations. Even though there has been a reshuffling in local government, it is not that it has collapsed. Someone from each of those local government offices has been appointed as the administrator. And during disasters, as you also know, one institution may be tasked with the primary role, but all institutions must come together and give their all. To ensure that all departments and ministries can work effectively and urgently together, the disaster management ministry, along with the ministries of fisheries and livestock, agriculture, health, etc, is taking coordinated efforts at the field level as well as the national level.

The adviser for disaster management and relief, who could not go earlier because of bad weather, went to Feni today. He may not have been able to visit the remote areas, but he will oversee the coordination from a nearby area.

Besides Feni, there are other districts such as Cumilla, Khagrachhari, etc, which have also been affected by the flash floods. What steps are you taking there?

The situation in Feni is particularly bad, so we are giving our utmost attention there. But local government agencies, ministries, and the army have all been instructed to do their due diligence in other affected areas, and they are being deployed in the places where the embankments have not broken yet, and to ensure that they are ready with whatever is necessary to tackle the situation. Every area is getting attention, but we are particularly worried about Feni because the communication system there has broken down completely.

Many have also questioned the government's poor river conservation and management initiatives amid the increasing intensity and frequency of floods in the country.

Today, we discussed in a meeting that in many areas, water is not receding because of the arbitrary way in which embankments, bridges and/or culverts have been constructed. Since this is a flash flood, when the rain lets up, the rainwater is supposed to recede quickly. There may be river erosion at that time. However, when the water recedes, there must be no obstruction. So, the bigger concern as to whether we have done adequate river management keeping in mind how flood-prone we are was discussed, though the immediate focus is now on rescue and rehabilitation. I have long been saying that our rivers are losing navigability. We have to address these wider concerns in the long run.​

It is good that these concerns about dam sluice gates were raised with India, but the accountability (what will happen if they fail to notify us) goes un-addressed.

They must call the Joint River Commission immediately and notify Indian side of their failure and consequences of what will happen if they keep ignoring Bangladesh concerns which they have for fifteen years under Hasina.

Enough is enough. It will NOT be business as usual anymore. We have plenty of leverage against India (trade and otherwise) and we will have to use them.

 

[Bilal9]

 

[Saif]

India opens all 109 gates of Farakka Barrage

India opened the gates on 24 August to release the Ganges water but no significant changes in the water level in the related rivers have been reported in the last two days

en.prothomalo.com

India opens all 109 gates of Farakka Barrage
Suvojit BagchiKolkata
Updated: 26 Aug 2024, 23: 09

Farakka BarrageFile photo

The authorities have opened all 109 sluice and spillway gates of Farakka Barrage in Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal as the water level in the Ganges river in Bihar has increased abnormally.

A government source confirmed this to this correspondent that the water level has crossed the danger level of 72 feet. The water was flowing at 76 feet, the source added.

However, it is uncertain whether this opening of Farakka gates would create any flood like situation in the downstream areas since the water is being released in a controlled way.

The source in the Indian government told Prothom Alo Monday, “The meaning of controlled release here is that the gates have not been opened at equal height. Some of the gates have been opened at 10-12 feet height and some of them at 3-4 feet. As a result, water is not being released equally through all the gates.”

This was done keeping in mind so that no flood-like situation appears anywhere, the source stated.

India opened the gates on 24 August to release the Ganges water but no significant changes in the water level in the related rivers have been reported in the last two days, the source added.

To prove the point, the source said, “Had the water level risen, Farakka Block at the north of Murshidabad and parts of Samserganj Block would have washed away before the rise in water level in Padma River. But that did not happen in the last two days.”

The water level has not risen in the two downstream districts of Farakka Barrage due to releasing water in such a controlled manner, the source reiterated.

However, a note of caution has also been issued saying that it cannot be said in advance about what would happen in the coming days if water level continues to rise in the Ganges River in Bihar.

The water levels have not risen in the feeder canals through which water released through Farakka Barrage reaches South Bengal and Kolkata via Bhagirathi River and other areas of Murshidabad.

Speaking about this, Sardar Uday Raihan, executive engineer at Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of Bangladesh, told Prothom Alo, “Any rise in the water levels was not seen at the points through which water enters into Bangladesh from Farakka Barrage. But the water level could rise in the rivers in Khulna and Barishal due to an increase in rainfall, the weather forecast said.”​

 

[Saif]

India denies Bangladesh minimum info on common rivers

Bangladesh remains exposed to devastating floods, thanks to India not sharing minimum information on the 54 common rivers, some of them the largest in the world, even after...

www.newagebd.net

India denies Bangladesh minimum info on common rivers
Emran Hossain 27 August, 2024, 23:40

Bangladesh remains exposed to devastating floods, thanks to India not sharing minimum information on the 54 common rivers, some of them the largest in the world, even after arbitrarily obstructing their courses upstream at numerous locations through dams and barrages.

India only shares the information of the daily water level records of eight of the 54 common rivers, according to the Joint Rivers Commission, the bilateral working group set up by Bangladesh and India in 1972 for the management of the common rivers for mutual benefits.

In more than the five decades since the commission came into being only one major treaty for sharing water in the Ganges River was signed, but India is accused of regularly violating it.

India’s arbitrary control of water by building dams and barrages on nearly all the common rivers impacts the rivers’ flow of water in the downstream Bangladesh, bringing adverse consequences for the country’s agriculture-based livelihoods of millions of people. Such impacts are most pronounced, among other areas, in the northern districts, known as Bangladesh’s rice basket, caused chiefly by the Gazaldoba barrage raised on the Teesta River in the Brahmaputra basin in the Indian state of West Bengal, triggering drought every summer and waves of floods every monsoon.

Even the latest spell of flash flood that lasted for nine days until Tuesday was partly compounded by India reportedly releasing water from its hydroelectric project in Dumboor in Tripura following a spell of extreme rainfall in the Indian state.

At least four other barrages built within 52km of Bangladesh on the Muhuri, Gumti, Khowai and Manu rivers have caused the latest flash flood, while the public perception in Bangladesh is that the Indian authority opened the barrages following the heavy rain spell.

‘India never shares any information with us other than the water levels in the eight common rivers despite our repeated requests,’ said Mohammad Abul Hossen, member, Joint River Commission, referring to the Ganges, Teesta, Dharla, Dudhkumar, Brahmaputra, Manu, Gumati and Kusiyara.

The consensus to share information about the water levels in these rivers twice a day was reached in the 3rd meeting of the commission after its commencement five decades ago.

Abul Hossen said that India constructed over 100 obstructions in the Ganges River alone without ever caring to inform Bangladesh for its consent or bothering to provide information about the infrastructure, such as warning before the opening of dams’ gates.

India even never shares information on opening the gates at the Farrakka Barrage, which is only 18km from Bangladesh in the Ganges basin though there is a water sharing agreement on the river signed in 1996.

‘India ignored for long our request of information on dams and barrages built within 100km of Bangladesh,’ said Abul Hossen.

Flood that supplied nutritious soil was once regarded a blessing for Bangladesh, the world’s largest delta built with silt carried by rivers over millions of years from the great Himalayas, experts said.

But the blessing turned a curse when human interventions of dams, barrages, embankments and other establishments began obstructing the natural course of rivers, according to experts.

For instance, the Teesta has lost its navigability along with the disappearance of 90 per cent of its fish resources as India withholds water from it during summer, reducing the river into a braid of sand beds, interrupted by tiny water pools. Over the last decade, experts have said that researches show fishing as a profession has become almost extinct among people living in the Teesta basin, robbing thousands of their livelihoods.

In monsoon, the Teesta assumes a completely different look overnight after India opens the Gazaldoba barrage, swelling several feet within hours, sweeping away everything in its way—humans, from thatched huts to multi-storey concrete buildings, roads, bridges, standing crops and fish and poultry farms.

People in Bangladesh were accustomed to living with natural riverine flooding and had rice varieties that rose in height keeping up with flood level rise. But sudden release of water leading to several metres of swelling in a day exposes people to an incompatible man-made disaster.

‘India acts as an enemy state considering how it deals with trans-boundary rivers,’ said Tuhin Wadud, director of Riverine People, a knowledge-based civil society movement to restore and conserve rivers, warning, ‘India is pushing Bangladesh on a course of conflict by denying fair share of water.’

‘Before long people will rise against India for destroying Bangladesh’s economy and environment by arbitrarily controlling common rivers,’ he said.

Instances are there of common rivers swelling four metres or even higher in a day in the past, indicating a sudden surge in the supply of water, Tuhin Wadud said.

Salinity moved inland, especially down the Padma River, affecting biodiversity and agriculture, since the Farakka barrage was built, experts said, explaining that the vacuum created by the withdrawal of freshwater gets filled with saline water, particularly amidst the sea level rising.

Saline water intrusion downstream the Padma River has been so intense that it paved way for an acute drinking water crisis across many districts where people travel miles to get a pitcher of drinking water.

‘International laws treat rivers as a resource that must not be divided and taken care of all along its course,’ said Md Khalequzzaman, who teaches geology at the Lock Haven University in the US.

‘The premise of international laws is equitable, just and fair share of water and sediment in rivers,’ he said.

The UN convention on the law of the non-navigational uses of international watercourses affirms the importance of being a good neighbour in using international watercourse in an equitable and reasonable manner.

The convention recognises the importance of sharing geographical, ecological, climatic, hydrological, hydrogeological and meteorological information among countries with common rivers for ensuring equitable and reasonable use of watercourses.

The convention prohibits taking any action by a country that can bear social and economic consequences for peoples and other states. The convention allows no harm to rivers and has provision for compensation in such case.

Without informing other countries with adequate technical evidence and environmental impact assessment, a country cannot plan any measure on a common watercourse, the convention says, adding that a certain time for other countries to evaluate the plan must be allowed.

In case of an emergency, which may result in flood in other states, the convention says, the state where the emergency is originating must notify other potentially affected states without delay and by the most expeditious means available.

Any dispute over international watercourse can be negotiated through a third party or taken to the International Court of Justice under the convention containing 37 articles.

‘Bangladesh should immediately ratify international conventions,’ said Khalequzzaman, who was also the current global coordinator of Bangladesh Environment Network, explaining that these legal instruments could be used to exert pressure on India, even it did not ratify the laws.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s convention on the protection and use of trans-boundary watercourses and international lakes says, ‘Water resources shall be managed so that the needs of the present generation are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’

The riparian parties shall cooperate on the basis of equality and reciprocity, the convention says, making it mandatory for the parties to engage in the widest exchange of information, as early as possible.

The convention says a warning system must be in place to share information with parties about a critical situation without any delay. The convention also makes it mandatory for making some information available for free to the public.

The conventions are effective only on countries ratifying them. Successive governments in Bangladesh never took an initiative to ratify the conventions, Khalequzzaman said.

‘It reveals the subservient stance of our politicians. They never dared to anger powerful India to hold onto power,’ said M Inamul Haque, former director general of the Bangladesh Water Development Board.

He also accused government officials in the Joint River Commission and Water Development Board of negligence in carrying out their duties.

‘Government officials were always shy of playing a proactive role in solving the problem. They were busy pleasing their bosses,’ he said.​