Why the Teesta River Remains a Sticking Point in India-Bangladesh Ties
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Bangladesh renews its push for a Teesta water-sharing agreement with India amid Chinese involvement and growing concerns over water security.
By Sakshi.
New Delhi, August 18: Bangladesh has renewed its push for a long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement with India, with Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee saying Dhaka does not want the dispute to damage ties between the two countries. He urged New Delhi to consider Bangladesh's interests alongside its own while deciding how the waters of the transboundary river should be shared.
"The neighbouring country is a friendly country. They have to think that while they have their interests, we also have ours," Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee was quoted as saying by news portal tbsnews.net at a seminar in Dhaka.
"A friend should protect the interests of a friend. We never want our friendly relations with them to deteriorate," he said.
Anee's remarks on Sunday came amid a renewed effort by Bangladesh to address the Teesta issue, including through the proposed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project with Chinese support. Dhaka hopes the project will help tackle recurring floods, river erosion and dry-season water shortages in the country's northern districts.
He said the government had organised several seminars and consultations since the February election to gather expert views on the proposed project.
Renewed Push for Teesta Agreement
A detailed study incorporating those recommendations would help the government take concrete steps, Anee said at the seminar, titled "Sustainable Management of the Teesta River", jointly organised by the Ministry of Water Resources and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
Describing the project as a major challenge, the minister said people in five to six northern districts had high expectations from it after suffering for years from river erosion and other water-related problems.
"If we fail to implement it, the damage and problems faced by families in those areas will continue to increase. We have to overcome this challenge anyhow," he said.
The Teesta dispute has remained a major point of contention in India-Bangladesh water cooperation for decades.
The river originates in the Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh, where it eventually joins the Jamuna, the Bangladeshi name for the Brahmaputra.
The Teesta is particularly important for agriculture and livelihoods in northern Bangladesh, while in West Bengal, its waters are crucial for irrigation and power generation. Several hydropower projects are located in the river's upper catchment, while nearly half a dozen districts in North Bengal depend on its waters.
History of the Teesta Water-Sharing Dispute
India and Bangladesh have discussed sharing the Teesta waters since the 1980s. An interim arrangement reached in 1983 allocated 39 per cent of the water to India and 36 per cent to Bangladesh, leaving the remaining 25 per cent unallocated. Further negotiations followed, but the two sides failed to reach a comprehensive long-term agreement.
A draft interim agreement was finalised in 2011, envisaging a dry-season water-sharing formula. However, it could not be signed after the West Bengal government opposed the arrangement over concerns about its impact on water availability in the state.
Anee said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman regularly discusses the project, while departmental and inter-ministerial meetings are being held to review its progress.
Asserting that a treaty is "urgently needed", he said, "Whether it is called the Teesta treaty or the Teesta master plan, or whatever is necessary to implement this project, we will move towards implementation."
During his official visit to Beijing in June, Rahman held high-level talks with the Chinese leadership and secured Beijing's commitment to expedite the technical feasibility study for the contentious Teesta restoration project.
Bangladesh's decision to involve China in the project has added a strategic dimension to the longstanding dispute.
For India, the prospect of a deeper Chinese footprint in northern Bangladesh is particularly sensitive because of the region's proximity to the Siliguri Corridor, the narrow land link connecting the northeastern states with the rest of the country.
India has maintained that the Teesta issue should be addressed through discussions involving all relevant stakeholders, including West Bengal.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in July that India's views on the proposed Teesta river project had already been conveyed to Bangladesh.
He said India would take "all related developments" into account in its "overall approach to the Teesta issue".
The Teesta dispute is separate from the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed by India and Bangladesh in 1996 for 30 years and due to expire in December 2026. The two countries share 54 transboundary rivers and address water-related matters through the Joint Rivers Commission.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)
