Anuttama Banerji | New Delhi based Hydropolitics and Maritime Researcher (Formerly with Stimson Center) |
As West Bengal moves toward a new political phase after the assembly verdict in 2026, hopes are rising in neighbouring Bangladesh for a breakthrough on the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement, especially since there appears to be growing alignment between the central and state governments on the issue. India and Bangladesh share 54 common rivers such as Atrai, Barak, Bhagirathi, Chiri, Dakatia, Dharla, Dhaleshwari, Dudhkumar, Feni, Gumti, Ichamati, Jaldhaka, Jamuna, Jiri, Kalindi, Khowai, Longai, Manu, Matabhanga, Meghana, Muhuri, Padma, Pussur, Rukni, Rupsha, Sonai, Singla, Teesta, Titas, Kushiyara, Karnaphuli, Mahananda, Manu, Muhuri, Nadia, Someshwari, Surma, Khowal, Tangon and Torsa. [1]
While transboundary river water sharing has come to dominate the political discourse between India and Bangladesh, traditionally, the demarcation of boundary lines in Bengal during the partition of 1947 were done keeping in mind the flow of rivers. For example, the Muslim majority thanas (police stations/ administrative blocks) of Malda and Murshidabad were claimed by the Indian National Congress as they were key nodal points within the Ganga-Bhagirathi River systems. Since the Hooghly river in Calcutta (modern day Kolkata) had decayed, regular inflow of water from the Ganga-Bhagirathi was deemed essential to keep the Hooghly alive. Hence, river systems were central to all negotiations associated with the partition in Bengal. [2]
However, with the passage of time, India’s construction of the Farakka Barrage in the 1960s and its subsequent operationalisation in the ensuing decade irked feathers in neighbouring Bangladesh. This skirmish over the Farakka Barrage was ultimately resolved through long-standing negotiations, on 1996 with the signing of the Ganga Water Treaty in 1996. [3]
Thus, over the years, river water sharing and management has emerged as the most important issue between India and Bangladesh. As a lower riparian state, Bangladesh feels vulnerable and has repeatedly accused New Delhi of closing the barrage gates during the dry season which results in acute water crisis in Bangladesh. Similarly, Bangladesh has accused India of opening the barrage gates during the rainy season resulting in massive floods. [4] For example, India recently denied reports emerging in Bangladesh that floods in some parts of Bangladesh were caused due to the opening of the Farakka barrage located in West Bengal. [5]
Despite the criticality of the issue at hand, the river water sharing issue has traditionally received scant attention from the government and policymakers alike for several years. In addition, despite the formation of the India – Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission, (JRC) since 1972 and the signing of the agreement on the Ganga river, the river water sharing issue receded into oblivion for twenty five years, with the next water sharing agreement coming to the fore only in August 2022, with an agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Kushiyara river.[6] A similar agreement on the sharing of the Feni river to provide drinking water to the people living in Sabroom town in Tripura is expected to be signed between India and Bangladesh at the earliest.[7]
River Water Sharing and Teesta
On the question of river water sharing, the waters of the Teesta have acquired great significance within the political discourse. After the construction of the Gajoldoba Barrage on the Teesta in the 1990s by India, Bangladesh only received 2,000-3,000 cusec of water. Moreover, after 2011, Bangladesh received barely any water from the Teesta since the natural flow of waters was stopped artificially. This sudden shift in Indian policy on the Teesta River has exacerbated fears among farmers in Northern Bangaldesh about Indian intentions related to the flow of the Teesta leading to the Teesta river water sharing issue gaining precedence.[8]
Moreover, despite India agreeing to share 37.5 percent of water with Bangladesh, and 42.5.percent water during the dry season especially during December and March, India has consistently failed to finalise the Teesta river water sharing agreement due to concerns raised by the incumbent West Bengal government in India.[9] For instance, Mamata Banerjee, the erstwhile Chief Minister of West Bengal had argued that allowing the flow of the Teesta, a river which is also drying up in India will have negative implications for the North Bengal farming community in India.[10] Mamata Banerjee had also opposed the sharing of the waters of the Teesta, for she believed the Farakka Barrage is responsible for causing erosion, siltation and floods in West Bengal. [11]
Since the Teesta has become an emotive issue in Bangladesh, a quick redressal of the issue is essential for the betterment in ties at the people-to-people level. Moreover, ensuring the formalisation of water agreements for other transboundary rivers like Manu, Mohri, Jaldhaka, Torsa, Ichamati and Gomti, among others will also enable India to win the trust and confidence of the Bangladeshi populace.[12]
Although both India and Bangladesh have recognised the importance of water resource management within the bilateral partnership, and have come to prioritise exchange of data and the formulation of a framework for interim water sharing based on the Joint Rivers Commission,[13] the water sharing issue continues to be achilles’ heel of the relationship. For Bangladesh, the river water sharing issue constitutes the most critical issue between the two states and acts as a hindrance in the betterment of bilateral relations. Hence, a quick resolution of the dispute is essential for the betterment in ties.[14] The Tarique Rahman led BNP government has also reiterated the need to resolve water sharing issues prioritising both the Teesta water treaty and the renewal of the Ganga Waters Treaty.
The water sharing issue is likely to have a residual impact on the bilateral ties in the long run as concerns about the sharing of the transboundary river waters has come to dominate the public discourse within Bangladesh. Miscommunication, disinformation/misinformation campaigns have further complicated ties further as the upper-riparian state has often been targeted for the water woes in Bangladesh.
For example, land grabbing and encroachment and the raising of bamboo barriers by fishermen hastened the degradation of the Kobadak river in Bangladesh,[15]despite attempts being made to revive the river through dredging. However, the public discourse within Bangladesh on Kobadak river’s revival has shifted on India with river experts suggesting that dredging works in the Kobadak river would not bring any benefit if effective discussion with India was not held over due share of water.[16] This shift in perception on river water issues where local causes have been sidelined and international actors have been effectively linked to the cause-and-effect analysis is likely to affect the latter’s interest.
Within this context, a resolution of the Teesta issue is essential to keep the domestic constituencies within Bangladesh in India’s favour. Resolving the Teesta issue is equally beneficial to keep Chinese influence within Bangladesh at bay. Interestingly, the Chinese had earlier proposed to construct a “river management project” that would have seen the dreading and embankment of large portions of the Teesta river to form a single manageable channel.[17] So far, India had been able to evade this proposition as Bangladesh’s former political dispensation under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had come to favour India for a proposed river water management project.[18]
However, Sheikh Hasina’s exit from Dhaka and the erstwhile interim government had jeopardised India’s position. Indications of the same had been seen with Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Bangladeshi Interim Adviser for Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Bangladesh’s interim government adopting a hardened stance vis-à-vis the Teesta, vocally stating that the interim administration that ran under the aegis of Mohammad Yunus in Bangladesh would take up water issues between the two countries “forcefully”. She had also advocated approaching the international fora to put forth Bangladeshi claims and making those living on the banks of the Teesta key stakeholders in the negotiations process. [19]
India had expressed its willingness to work with the new political dispensation in Dhaka on the Teesta waters issue as well as the renewal of the Ganga water agreement once the political situation within Bangladesh assumes a degree of normalcy.[20]
A resolution of the Teesta is essential, for a non-resolution of this issue could adversely impact other water sharing agreements, such as the all-important 1996 Ganga Water Treaty,[21] signed between India and Bangladesh which is up for renewal in 2026. Earlier, a joint technical committee had been set up to renew the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty despite consistent appeals by the West Bengal government to potentially forego its renewal.[22]
Moreover, non-resolution of river water issues may amplify trust deficit between stakeholders at the federal and local levels as a vitiated environment at the local level could amplify political differences. As seen in the case of the Indus River Waters between India and Pakistan, mnemonic communities i.e. social groups that engage in the collective practice of commemoration in the Indo-Gangetic delta also tend to view the “denial of water” as a “prescriptive wound” caused by the other.[23]
This polarised environment further complicates/vitiates political ties between the two neighbours at the federal and local level. Compounding the crisis, lack of access to water during need and excessive down flow of water during rainy seasons is viewed by people as a punitive measure adopted by the upper riparian state on the lower riparian state.
A good example of this scenario relates to the recent clarification issued by the India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in August 2024 about the flood situation in Bangladesh after India was wrongly accused of releasing water from the Indian Dumbur dam upstream of the river Gumti in Tripura. India clarified that the flood in Bangladesh was primarily due to waters in the catchment areas of the river Gumti river as the area had witnessed heaviest rains of the year in the last days that led to the flood situation.[24] Such information sharing efforts at the apex level are useful to curb misinformation/disinformation campaigns as well.
[ Opinions expressed personal.]
[1] List being compiled by author. No exhaustive list is available in the public domain so far that specifies the list of the names of the 54 rivers shared between India and Bangladesh. Incidentally, about 300 rivers flow in Bangladesh.
[2] Joya Chatterjee, The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India 1947-1967, (New Delhi: Swan Press), 42-45
[3] Anuttama Banerji, “India-Bangladesh Geopolitics in Shaping the Outcome of Water Sharing Agreements”, in Transboundary Water Security in South Asia, Rahul Karan Reddy eds. Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA) Special Issue 3, April 2024. https://orcasia.org/allfiles/ORCA_x_NIICE_Special_Issue_3_-_Transboundary_Water_Security_in_South_Asia.pdf
[4] Mohammad Karazzuman, “Bangladesh, India likely to discuss Rohingya, water issues”, Anadolu Agency 04 October 2019 https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/bangladesh-india-likely-to-discuss-rohingya-water-issues/1602400#
[5] The Indian Express, “India rejects reports linking opening of Farakka barrage to flooding in Bangladesh”, 27 August 2024. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-rejects-reports-linking-opening-of-farakka-barrage-to-flooding-in-bangladesh-9534597/
[6] Press Information Bureau, “Both Sides Welcome Finalisation of the Design and location of Water Intake Point on the Feni River to meet the Drinking water needs of Sabroom Town in Tripura”, Ministry of Jal Shakti, 26 August 2022. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1854557
[7] Indo – Bangladesh Cooperation, “Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation” 03 January 2023 URL: https://jalshakti-dowr.gov.in/indo-bangladesh-cooperation/
[8] Arkamoy Dutta Majumdar, “Why Mamata Banerjee is opposed to sharing Teesta waters LiveMint 11 April 2017 https://www.livemint.com/Politics/dtlGtxiSUVDJgo7eoBxxDL/Why-Mamata-Banerjee-is-opposed-to-sharing-Teesta-waters.html
[9] Anuttama Banerji, “India Must Settle the Teesta River Water Dispute With Bangladesh for Lasting Gains”, The Diplomat 09 April 2021 URL:https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/india-must-settle-the-teesta-river-dispute-with-bangladesh-for-lasting-gains/
[10] Majumdar, LiveMint, 2017.
[11] India Today, “Mamata Banerjee upset over India-Bangladesh decision on Teesta Water Sharing”, 24 June 2024. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/mamata-banerjee-upset-india-bangladesh-teesta-water-sharing-ganga-water-treaty-tmc-2556965-2024-06-23
[12] Anuttama Banerji, “Opposition Protests in Bangladesh Threaten Bilateral Relations with India”, South Asian Voices 13 February 2023 https://southasianvoices.org/opposition-protests-in-bangladesh-threaten-bilateral-relations-with-india/
[13] Ministry of External Affairs, “India-Bangladesh Shared Vision for Future: Enhancing Connectivity, Commerce and Collaboration for Shared Prosperity”, 22 June 2024. https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/37897/IndiaBangladesh_Shared_Vision_for_Future_Enhancing_Connectivity_Commerce_and_Collaboration_for_Shared_Prosperity
[14] Md. Abul Kashem & Md. Shariful Islam, Narendra Modi’s Bangladesh Policy and India-Bangladesh Relations: Challenges and Possible Policy Challenges India Quarterly 72 (3) 1-18 Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA)
[15] The Daily Star, ‘Take steps to save Kobadak’, 12 July 2008. https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-45291
[16] The Daily Star, “Jessore rivers in death throes”, 10 August 2024. https://www.thedailystar.net/jessore-rivers-in-death-throes-36500
[17] Pinaki Roy, “Bangladesh turns from India to China to transform major river”, China Dialogue 21 October 2020 https://chinadialogue.net/en/energy/bangladesh-turns-from-india-to-china-to-transform-major-river/
[18] Sudhi Ranjan Jain, “Bangladesh prefers India over China to execute $1 billion river project”, Business Standard, 15 July 2024. https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/bangladesh-prefers-india-over-china-to-execute-1-billion-river-project-124071500499_1.html
[19] Kalol Bhattacharjee, “Bangladesh will ‘forcefully’ advocate for its ‘just demands’ on Teesta waters: says interim water, environment adviser”, The Hindu, 21 August 2024. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bangladesh-will-forcefully-advocate-for-its-just-demands-on-teesta-waters-says-interim-water-environment-adviser/article68551421.ece
[20] Puja Das, “India to discuss Teesta water project and renewal of Ganga water treaty”, The Mint, 08 August 2024. https://www.livemint.com/economy/india-bangladesh-hasina-modi-teesta-river-ganga-water-treaty-agreement-11723108509009.html
[21] Under the terms of the treaty, when the availability of water at the Farakka barrage is 70,000 cusecs or less, India and Bangladesh share the water equally. When the availability is 70,000 cusecs to 75,000 cusecs, Bangladesh gets 35,000 cusecs and India the “balance of the flow”. When the availability is 75,000 cusecs or more, India gets 40,000 cusecs and Bangladesh the balance of the flow.
For more information, please see, Rezaul Laskar, “As Delhi, Dhaka prep to renew Ganga treaty, climate change and Mamata role are crucial”, Hindustan Times, 04 July 2024. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/as-delhi-dhaka-prep-to-renew-ganga-treaty-climate-change-and-mamata-role-are-crucial-101720094705010.html
[22] Indian Express, “West Bengal not consulted over Ganga water treaty with Bangladesh: TMC”, 24 June 2024. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/west-bengal-not-consulted-over-ganga-water-treaty-with-bangladesh-tmc-9410063/
[23] Anuttama Banerji, “A Shared Interest: Why India and Pakistan Should Strengthen the Indus Waters Treaty”, Stimson Center, 27 June 2024. https://www.stimson.org/2024/a-shared-interest-why-india-and-pakistan-should-strengthen-the-indus-waters-treaty/
[24] Media Centre, “Flood situation in Bangladesh not due to release of waters from Indian dam on Gumti River, Tripura”, Ministry of External Affairs, 22 August 2024. https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/38197/Flood_situation_in_Bangladesh_not_due_to_release_of_waters_from_Indian_dam_on_Gumti_River_Tripura
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