MEMBERS of Bangladesh-India joint committee on Thursday monitored the Ganges water flow at Hardinge Bridge, Pabna to see whether the lower riparian country was receiving waters in accordance with the 1996 treaty. The treaty stipulates joint monitoring of the Ganges flows at two sharing points, Farakka feeder canal in India and Hardinge Bridge in Bangladesh, as per a report of a local daily.The bilateral treaty provides for sharing the Ganges flows during the dry season spanning January 1 and May 31. For the sharing the dry months are split into 15 periods each having 10 days. And the treaty allocates separate shares to the two countries for each 10-day period. The Ganges flows in Bangladesh began to fall since January due to ‘unilateral withdrawal’ of waters by India from the upstream.Bangladesh and India share 54 common rivers and until now they could conclude only one agreement for sharing the Ganges waters for 30 years since 1996. The issue of sharing the Teesta waters on the negotiation table since 1954 defied a solution until now. The Teesta waters sharing is an irritant in the bilateral ties between the two neighbours.It should not be too difficult for the two neighbours, who share friendly relations, to come together to share waters of the 54 common rivers which flow between the countries. Unfortunately the political will to do so does not exist. When current PM of India Modi himself stated that there should be no problem in solving the problem of water sharing it should not be too difficult to do so.However the Ganges water treaty, which established Bangladesh’s rights as a lower riparian country, has its share of problems. India complains that the water allocated to Bangladesh leaves it with less water than necessary for the functioning of the Kolkata Port and the National Thermal Power Corporation in Farakka.But there are solid reasons for India of rethink its drawing of water. Critics have also stressed environmental reasons for India to reconsider its drawing of water at Farraka. Alarming increases in deforestation and erosion at the upper levels of the Ganges river increases the deposition of silt at the lower level, which is already measured at 2 million tonnes annually, alongwith increased salinity have also led to desertification. In Bangladesh, the diversion has raised salinity levels, contaminated fisheries, hindered navigation and posed a threat to water quality and public health. Such silt levels are believed to be adversely affecting the Hooghly river and the Kolkata Port.So it is absolutely necessary for both the countries to solve the water sharing issues – as it is negatively impacting the ecology of both the countries. A concerted push from both the governments is needed to solve the issue – the state government of West Bengal must be convinced otherwise.
