Teesta River Dispute Between Bangladesh and India

The Teesta is a tributary of the river Brahmaputra, which runs through India and Bangladesh and is known in Bangladesh as the Jamuna. It begins in the Himalayan town of Chungthang, Sikkim, and flows south through West Bengal before passing into Bangladesh. The dam of Teesta Barrage provides irrigation for the plains between the Jamuna and the upper Padma.

In 2011, India committed to sharing 37.5 percent of Teesta waters during the dry season while keeping 42.5 percent during the wet season, which runs from December to March. The contract, however, was never completed due to opposition from West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was a vocal opponent of the treaty. The sharing of the Teesta waters has long been a demand of Bangladesh, as the river’s water is vital to millions of people’s livelihoods.

States that the Teesta River Passes Through

Teesta is a 414-kilometre-long river that flows through West Bengal and Sikkim in India before entering the Bay of Bengal via Bangladesh.

After the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna River systems, it’s the fourth largest river transboundary shared by India and Bangladesh.

It covers up to 1.75 million square kilometres of the catchment area.

Teesta River’s Importance to Bangladesh and India 

According to a 2013 assessment by the Asian Foundation, Bangladesh’s flood plain covers around 14 per cent of the country’s total cultivated area and gives direct livelihood options to nearly 73 per cent of the population.

For India, the Teesta is the lifeblood of North Bengal, with over a half-dozen West Bengal districts reliant on its waters.

The Teesta River Issue from a Federal Perspective

The Union Government has the authority under Article 253 of the Indian Constitution to engage in any transboundary river water contract with a state of riparian.

The centre cannot act arbitrarily without considering the social, political, and environmental consequences of this treaty in the area of the catchment.

The government of West Bengal commissioned a case study on the Teesta issue in 2011 under the direction of renowned hydrologist Kalyan Rudra.

This is unacceptable in Bangladesh, where water is needed mostly between December and April, when the country is at its driest.

West Bengal’s Disapproval

Many of the glaciers in the Teesta basin have retreated due to global warming, according to a Mumbai think tank.

According to estimates, the Teesta River has an average mean flow of around 60 billion cubic metres, with a large quantity flowing throughout June and September from October to April.

Any deal will dry the northern part of West Bengal and hurt farmers.

Bangladesh’s Teesta barrage began in 1998, and Bangladeshi farmers have had three cropping seasons every year and do not deserve any more water.

The Teesta River Alternatives Presented by West Bengal

Mamata Banerjee advocated that rivers like the Torsa, which are much closer to the Sikkim-Bangladesh border, be shared. The Torsa is connected to Bangladesh’s Padma. She suggested that the two countries form a commission to determine the amount of water streaming via the Torsa and how much of it can be shared.

Central Bangladesh’s Position on the Teesta River Dispute

India presently controls 55 per cent of river water. Each year, between December and May, when the movement of water entering the country is at its lowest, Bangladesh claims half of the water. Due to excessive water withdrawal, more than 1 lakh hectares of land in Rangpur’s rice bowl cannot be planted for its winter harvests.

Mostly during the summers or dry season, Bangladesh looks forward to a fair amount of river water. The West Bengal project seeks to irrigate 9,22,000 hectares of land in North Bengal while also generating 67.60 MW of hydropower. Any sharing of water with Bangladesh will jeopardise the project.

The Teesta River dispute map showcases the problem.

The Teesta River Dispute from a Political Perspective

Begum Khaleda Zia’s previous Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government was not attentive to India’s concerns. During its two terms in office, from 1991 to 1996 and then from 2001 to 2006, the BNP gave haven to leaders and cadres of different North East-based terror groups.

However, Sheikh Hasina’s Bangladesh Awami League party adopted pro-India policies and a zero-tolerance attitude towards anti-India terror groups, and ULFA was subsequently disbanded. The two countries’ cooperation aided in the completion of the land border agreement.

As expected, the Teesta River water deal will give Delhi more political clout, which it believes is required to counter China’s growing influence in the Bay of Bengal region.

Conclusion

Bangladesh is one of the important neighbouring countries of India that shares a common culture, history, religion, and various other characteristics. This is still regarded as a long-term ailment in Bangladesh perpetrated by India. Bangladesh’s assistance is critical to India, and India can never be free of horrors without similar open regimes in neighbouring nations. Bangladesh is a necessary component for India to connect with the North East. Given Bangladesh’s strategic importance and position as a responsible state of upper riparian, India needs to take proactive measures to ensure that the Teesta agreement is completed as soon as possible.