Withdrawal of Ganges water by India posing threats to BD

India’s unilateral withdrawal of Ganges water is not only leading to the destruction of ecological and environmental system of Bangladesh but also posing a serious threat to its agriculture, industry and navigation.
The allegation was made by speakers at a roundtable discussion on ‘India’s unilateral withdrawal of Ganges water and our role’ organised by center for international studies at the National Press Club yesterday.
The speakers said India has started withdrawal of ganges water unilaterally through farakka barrage near 18 km upstream of the Bangladesh. As a result, normal flow and availability of water of country’s around 51 rivers have already been lost and the country has started to become a desert day by day.
The Indian government is constructing Tipaimukh dam and Bangladesh government is planning to construct Buriganga barrage to resolve country’s water crisis but it will be another deathtrap for this nation in the long run. As part of a to make Bangladesh a desert, India is withdrawing around eight billion cubic meters of water through constructing various barrages and dams, the speakers added.
The issue of the sharing of ganges water first came into focus on 29 October 1951. The government of Pakistan drew the attention of the Indian government to the dangers of their scheme for diverting a large amount of water from the Ganges to save their Bhagirathi River. Since then, India has been diverting flows of water through constructing various barrages at different points of Himalaya ignoring opinion from all including the United Nation, the speakers further said.
S I Khan, former environmentalist of United Nation in his keynote paper said around 1346 billion cubic meters of waters is needed to meet country’s existing water demand every year. But India diverts eight billion cubic meters of waters forcibly.
Failing to negotiation with India, Bangladesh took the issue to the United Nations on 26 November 1976. The UN General Assembly adopted a consensus statement which directed India to sit with Bangladesh urgently to negotiate a fair and expeditious settlement of the problem. Several rounds of discussions between India and Bangladesh were held and good numbers of agreements were also signed for sharing the dry season flow available at Farakka. But all terms and conditions are violated by India as Bangladesh is unable to undertake any concrete steps for a meaningful and optimal utilisation of the Ganges water in different sectors including agriculture, industry and navigation, he said.
Around 500 barrages were constructed by India, Nepal and China at different points of the Himalaya. Of these, a total of 350 barrages were constructed by India for diverting flow of water of Himalaya to make desert areas of Hariana, Rajisthan and Gujrat a hub of their modern agriculture, he also said.
“Forming international opinion in our favour about the Farakka issue, India has to be compelled to be accountable and pay compensation to Bangladesh. Otherwise there is no alternative way to bring them under process,” Mr Asafuddawla, a former secretary for water and navigation.

Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today