SCANTY water flow triggering the drying up of the mighty River Padma and its 85 tributaries as the summer is up is causing an adverse impact on environment in the drought-prone south and northern regions. In fact the entire Barind Tract, is facing ecological disasters due to adverse impact of the gradual drying of the river. The situation is worsening and the government should take up the issue seriously with India to remove the bottleneck at Farakka Barrage; which is causing the flow to sharply slow down in the upstream.
The water level is falling rapidly and it has reached the lowest mark during the current dry season. A large number of big shoals have emerged in the river. The river has now the lowest water flow in some narrower channels hampering navigability throughout the region.
Various types of crops especially IRRI-Boro and other seasonal crops are now cultivated on the riverbed which had earlier a vast pool of water in the river. Meanwhile, the ground water table in the vast Barind Tract has also went down with the reduction of water level causing fear that hand-driven tubewells even may not catch water below.
If this trend continues, the process of desertification would further intensify in the region leading to a catastrophe in the agriculture and fishing sectors. The Farakka Barrage which is holding the water back is causing the setback, we have the remedial measures in the Ganges water sharing treaty but it is not working.
Bangladesh and India have always this problem particularly during the summer. The delay in signing the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement is further affecting Bangladesh in the northwest. Particularly, in the dry season India is diverting water from the Ganges to River Hooghly to stop drying of Kolkata Port but this in turn is denying water to Bangladesh drying the riverbeds. The wetlands and mangrove forests are also facing big existential threat.
The Barind Tract region in Bangladesh, which produces the bulk of the Boro rice may end up barren unless farmers switch to low-irrigation or that the water levels rises in the River Padma and its tributary Mohananda. The Farakka water treaty with India has the necessary clauses to provide Bangladesh with due water share but India is showing indifference to ensure its supply in dry season.
The drying of Padma and its tributaries and the Teesta on the northwest is in fact threatening the existence of Bangladesh causing the land barren and affecting farming and fishing. India must understand our problem and we believe that the government of the two countries should open immediate discussion and call the Joint River Commission meeting to sit and address the issue.
