Bangladesh Defense Forum
Delhi is able to show more political acumen than we think. They are using Mamata Banerjee as an excuse to deprive Bangladesh of its legitimate share of water of Teesta river.
www.newagebd.net
www.newagebd.net
āNot feasible to share Teesta waterā
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday said no discussion on sharing the Teesta and Ganges waters should be held with Bangladesh without the involvement of the West Bengal government.www.thedailystar.net
'Not feasible to share Teesta water'
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Mamata writes to Modi, also asks not to hold talks on Teesta, Farakka without involving West Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday said no discussion on sharing the Teesta and Ganges waters should be held with Bangladesh without the involvement of the West Bengal government.
Sharing Teesta water with Bangladesh is not feasible, she wrote in a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The interest of people in West Bengal is paramount which should not be compromised at any cost," she wrote.
If Teesta water is shared with Bangladesh, "lakhs of people in North Bengal will get severely impacted due to inadequate availability of irrigation water".
Teesta water is also needed for meeting drinking water requirements of the residents of North Bengal, she said.
She wrote the letter a couple of days after prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi held talks in New Delhi where the Indian PM announced a technical team would be sent to Bangladesh soon for conservation and management of water in the Teesta and discussions would soon start on the renewal of the 1996 Ganges water-sharing treaty which expires in 2026.
Mamata also stated that West Bengal shares "a very close relationship with Bangladesh geographically, culturally and economically. I love and respect people of Bangladesh and always wish for their well-being".
"However, water is very precious and is the lifeline of the people. We cannot compromise on such a sensitive issue which has severe and adverse implication on the people. People of West Bengal will be the worst sufferers due to the impact of such agreements."
In the letter signed yesterday, the West Bengal chief minister also said, "I came to understand that Government of India is in the process of renewing the Indo Bangladesh Farakka Treaty (1996) which is to expire in 2026."
"I would like to bring to your notice that river morphology has changed in the eastern part of India and Bangladesh over many years which has deprived West Bengal and negatively impacted the water availability in the state," she said.
The letter ended with her strong reservation saying that no discussion on sharing of "Teesta water and the Farakka Treaty should be taken up with Bangladesh without the involvement of [West Bengal] state government".
She hoped that the Indian prime minister would take action accordingly.
Teesta water is crucial for irrigation in the northern part of Bangladesh, especially between December and April.
The river resembles a narrow canal in Bangladesh in lean season.
India in 1983 built the Gajoldoba barrage on the Teesta 70km upstream of Bangladesh's Lalmonirhat and started diverting Teesta water.
In 2011, Bangladesh and India finalised the Teesta water-sharing agreement but it was not signed as Mamata opposed it.
During the Indian PM's Dhaka visit in 2021, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi directed their respective water resources ministries to work towards an early conclusion of the Framework of Interim Agreement on sharing waters of six common rivers.
Three years have gone by, but the framework has not seen the light of day.
What about decommissioning Farakka Barrage?
The Farakka Barrage on the mighty river Ganges was commissioned on April 21, 1975 on a trial basis. And with its commissioning, a large section of people of Bangladesh became mistrustful of India, which had strongly supported the independence war of Bangladesh and made huge sacrifices. The main rethefinancialexpress.com.bd
What about decommissioning Farakka Barrage?
MIR MOSTAFIZUR RAHAMAN
Published :
Jun 26, 2024 21:49
Updated :
Jun 26, 2024 21:49
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The Farakka Barrage on the mighty river Ganges was commissioned on April 21, 1975 on a trial basis. And with its commissioning, a large section of people of Bangladesh became mistrustful of India, which had strongly supported the independence war of Bangladesh and made huge sacrifices.
The main reason for mistrust is the adverse effect of Farakka Barrage on the economy of Bangladesh that is largely dependent on agriculture for its sustenance. But the irony is that after 20 years of its commissioning, people for whom the barrage was constructed, are now raising voice against it. Located in West Bengal, India, the Farakka Barrage is roughly 16.5km away from the Bangladesh border.
The purpose of the barrage was to ensure navigability of the Kolkata Port by flushing out silt by discharging water at the rate of 1800 cubic meter per second from the Hooghly River. After commissioning the project, Indian experts said that it was observed that the diverted water flow from the Farakka Barrage was not enough for the purpose.Eventually, it was found that the water diverted from the barrage is less than 10 per cent of the water of the Ganges river available at Farakka.
Against this backdrop, the chief minister of the West Bengal, Mamara Banarjee has publicly questioned the necessity of the Farakka Barrage. A couple of days ago, she wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wherein she had drawn a vivid picture of the negative impact of the Farakka Barrage on the people and their livelihoods in West Bengal.
"In fact, the genesis of construction of Farakka Barrage project is the disconnection of Bhagirathi from the Ganges. As part of this project, a feeder canal has been constructed to provide at least 40000 cusec for proper functioning of the Kolkata port. It is very pertinent to mention that the flow of silt into Hooghly has also reduced over the years after the barrage was constructed" the West Bengal chief minister wrote in her letter.
"This has accentuated erosion by the rivers and the areas both in the upstream and downstream of the barrage have faced serious loss of life and property including public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals; health centres, power lines in the past. Lakhs of people have been displaced from their habitation rendering them homeless and also leading to their loss of livelihood. The reduced silt load in Hooghly has impeded the nourishment of Sundarban delta" she explained.
People of Bangladesh believe that Farakka Barrage, built across the Ganges is the key reason for drying up of many rivers in their country, including the Padma near Rajshahi. Experts said the barrage is not a problem for Bangladesh alone, it also poses a problem for the people who live in its vicinity in India. In fact, Farrakka project is a vivid example of how development projects have been undertaken without thinking about the lives of people living near the river. The rivers of Bangladesh are dying. The sweet water content inside the rivers has diminished, and there has been a steady rise in salinity.
Built to revive the Kolkata port, it is now blamed for reducing water flow, increasing salinity and drying up the waters around the Sundarbans.
Mamata Banerjee raised the issue in reference to the recent Hasina-Modi meeting, which decided to renew the Ganges Water Sharing treaty, which is to expire in 2026. She made it clear that without her consent the proposed renewal would not be acceptable. And it is more or less clear that she may not accept a deal without a solution of the crisis triggered by the Farakka Barrage.
Under the prevailing circumstances, questions are being raised by many whether decommissioning of the Farakka Barrage could be a solution to the problem. One will have to wait and see what transpires finally.
Fokirni Hasina has already indicated that she would give the Teesta project to India instead of China. India has deprived us of Teesta water and as a reward for this Hasina is about to give them $1 billion Teesta restoration project. She is a traitor.
Due to Indian pressure, the Mirjafor of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has already cancelled the Ganges barrage project in 2017.
Due to Indian pressure, the Mirjafor of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has already cancelled the Ganges barrage project in 2017.
Fingers crossed.
