Drastic fall in Teesta water flow | New Age
Mustafizur Rahman
Dhaka has once again expressed its concern to Delhi about its rightful share of Teesta waters with the flow in the trans-boundary river falling drastically due to ‘unilateral withdrawal of water upstream.’
The Teesta water available at Dalia point in Nilphamari was recorded at 416 cusec on Wednesday, the lowest so far in the current year against a historical average of 5,986 cusec, officials at the Joint Rivers Commission in Dhaka said.
‘The issue of the further reduction in Teesta water flow has been communicated to Delhi as this will hit hard the life and livelihoods of people in the country’s northern districts,’ a senior JRC official told New Age on Wednesday.
India was withdrawing water from various points of the cross-border river, particularly in the lean season (February-March), allowing a little amount to flow into Bangladesh that India could not manage upstream, according to the officials.
The water resources ministry in January, 2015 informed Delhi that the Teesta began to flow ‘abnormally low’ in November, 2014.
‘The flow fell to 1644 cusec against a historic flow of 7010 cusec in the first 10 days of January, 2015 from 8879 cusec in the first 10 days of November 2014,’ said the official letter issued on January 19.
The water resources ministry, through the diplomatic channel, sought equitable and rightful share of the Teesta water from Delhi, for ‘the Teesta Barrage project, biodiversity in the area and also for the existence of the river itself.’
‘We have expressed our concern to Delhi as the Teesta flow has fallen drastically. The draft of the Teesta water deal is ready for signing…We are expecting a solution soon,’ state minister for water resources Muhammad Nazrul Islam said.
Last year, Dhaka intensified its diplomatic efforts to hold a meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission against the backdrop of the lowest ever flow (409 cusec) in the Teesta.
The JRC meeting has not happened in last five years with India apparently buying time to resolve the Teesta water sharing issue, crucial for Bangladesh’s agriculture and ecology, said officials concerned.
Bangladesh has long been pushing for signing the Teesta water sharing deal so that its rightful share of water is guaranteed.
India and Bangladesh earlier exchanged drafts of the interim agreement on the principles of water-sharing of the river Teesta that enters Bangladesh through Nilphamari border and flows across the northern division of Rangpur. Over seven lakh hectares of cultivable land in the country’s north depends on the Teesta water for irrigation during lean season.
Although the two neighbours share 54 trans-boundary rivers, the countries have an agreement only on Ganges water sharing.
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