Teesta river dispute

Bangladesh is likely to receive an almost USD 1 billion loan from China for a comprehensive management and restoration project on the Teesta river.The Teesta river water conflict is one of the most contentious issues between India and Bangladesh and the discussion comes amidst the ongoing India-China standoff in Ladakh.

Why is there a dispute?

• How much water will be given to which country under the India-Bangladesh agreement, it is not clear at the moment.
• Experts say that according to the format of the agreement, Bangladesh has to get 48 percent water, but the West Bengal government argues that in such a situation, the irrigation system in six districts of North Bengal will be completely stalled.
• The Bengal government, after conducting an study with an expert committee, proposed to provide 35 or 40 per cent of the river water to Bangladesh during the monsoon and 30 per cent during the drought, but this is not acceptable to Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh is asking for more water which is justified in view of its dependence on Teesta but Bengal government is not ready for this.

Why can this problem be solved now?

• In 2011, when the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refused to sign the Teesta Agreement, this time it is believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will accept the rights of Bangladesh and sign the Teesta Agreement and on the water of other rivers To make a strong claim, it is important that there are 53 river systems flowing between India and Bangladesh.
• Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to bow to the compulsions of the coalition government but now the circumstances are different.
• There is also a possibility that both sides will finalize the agreement on Ganga Barrage.

Teesta River

• It is a tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh), flowing through India and Bangladesh.
• Origin: In the Himalayas near Chunthang, Sikkim and flows to the south through West Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
• Drainage: It covers nearly the entire floodplains of Sikkim while draining 2,800 sq km of Bangladesh. For West Bengal, it is the lifeline of half-a-dozen districts in North Bengal.
• Latest Development: In March 2020, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) opened a 360 feet long bailey suspension bridge over Teesta river in Munshithang, Sikkim.

Dispute Resolution

• Talks on Teesta River water sharing have been going on since 1983 between India and Bangladesh.
• An interim agreement was signed between the two countries for 15 years in mid-year 2011, under which 42.5 per cent of Teesta river water was determined to be used by India and 37.5 per cent by Bangladesh.
• Bengal opposed the agreement and agreed to sign it. Thus this agreement was never implemented.
• Bangladesh is demanding from India the proper and equitable distribution of Teesta water on the lines of the Ganga Water Treaty 1996.
• Under this treaty, an agreement has been reached to use the surface water of Farakka barrage in areas close to the border of both countries.
• The visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Dhaka in 2015 raised hopes of resolving this dispute, but so far no progress has been made in this direction.
• In India, states have significant rights over cross-border agreements, thereby hampering the policy-making process.
• West Bengal is one of the major stakeholders of the Teesta agreement and the agreement has not yet been signed by it.

UPSC