Farakka----India's diabolical conspiracy against Bangladesh- Chaper I
VognoDuut750
By Shah Mohammed Saifuddin (Maruf)
Introduction:
The problem over the Ganges is typical of conflicting interests of up- and
down-stream riparians. India, as the upper riparian, developed plans for
water diversions for its own irrigation, navigability, and water supply
interests. Initially Pakistan, and later Bangladesh, has interests in
protecting its legitimate right of natural flow of the river for its own
down-stream uses. Defying international law and disregarding the rights of
the lower riparian country, India built a dam in 1974 on the Ganges River
just 11 miles from the border of Bangladesh. The dam diverted Ganges water
into India's Hugli River, causing tremendous hardship to Bangladesh.
The objectives of constructing such barrage:
The details of the objectives are as following:
a. To provide for river control by constructing a barrage that should also
carry a railway-cum-road bridge;
b. To supply water for resuscitation of the moribund rivers;
c. To provide flushing-cum-irrigation;
d. To supply water for the benefit of Calcutta Port through the Bhagirathi;
e. To provide a direct and perennial navigation route between Calcutta and
the Ganges located exclusively within the Indian Union. This is an important
objective, as besides avoiding the risk of transport of Indian goods through
Pakistan, it will cut down the length of the route by 450 miles.
History of the Ganges Conflict between Bangladesh and India
Negotiations on sharing of Ganges water at Farakka was started from 1960 at
the time of signing of Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan. India
decided to construct a barrage across the Ganges at Farakka in 1951 in order
to divert water to Bhagirathi to maintain its navigability which was being
hampered due to siltation. Construction of the Farakka Barrage was started
by India in 1960 unilaterally violating the international norms of any
construction for diversion of water on any international river. Construction
of the barrage having a length of 7363 ft, designed for a maximum design
discharge of 27,00,000 cusec and a head regulator for diversion capacity of
40,000 cusec of flow.
Over the next years, Pakistan occasionally responded to reports of Indian
plans for diversion projects of the Ganges, with little Indian response. In
1957, and again in 1958, Pakistan proposed that:
1.. the advisory and technical services of a United Nations body be
secured to assist in planning for the co-operative development of the
eastern river systems;
2.. the projects in the two countries be examined jointly by experts of
the two countries before their implementation; and,
3.. the Secretary-General of the UN be requested for the appointment of an
engineer or engineers to participate in the meetings at experts level.
India turned down these proposals although it was agreed that water
resources experts of the two countries should, "exchange data on projects of
mutual interests." These expert-level meetings commenced 28 June 1960.
At the third secretaries' level meeting, Pakistan proposed that an agreement
should provide for:
1.. guarantee to Pakistan of fixed minimum deliveries of the Ganges waters
on a monthly basis at an agreed point;
2.. construction and maintenance of such works, if any, in India as may be
necessary in connection with the construction of the Ganges Barrage in
Pakistan;
3.. setting up of a permanent Ganges Commission to implement the
agreement;
4.. machinery and procedure for settlement of differences and disputes
consistent with international usages.
India again argued that such an agreement could only take place after the
two sides had agreed to "basic technical facts."
The fifth and final secretaries-level meeting was held in New Delhi from
16-21 July 1970, resulting in three recommendations:
1.. the point of delivery of supplies to Pakistan of such quantum of water
as may be agreed upon will be at Farakka;
2.. constitution of a body consisting of one representative from each of
the two countries for ensuring delivery of agreed supplies at Farakka is
acceptable in principle;
3.. a meeting would be held in three to six months time at a level to be
agreed to by the two Governments to consider the quantum of water to be
supplied to Pakistan at Farakka and other unresolved issues relating thereto
and to eastern rivers which have been subject matter of discussions in these
series of talks.
Little of practicality came out of these talks, and India completed
construction of the Farakka Barrage in 1974. Water was not diverted at the
time, though, because the feeder canal to the Bhagirathi-Hooghly system was
not yet completed.
India approached Bangladesh for test operation of the Farakka Barrage and
feeder canal. The then prime Minister Sk. Mujib agreed to India's proposal
for test operation of the barrage and feeder canal. Initially in 1975 India
was allowed to divert flows varying from 11000 cusec to 16000 cusec for a
period of 41 days from 21 April to 31 May '75 with the understanding that
India will not operate feeder canal until a final agreement was reached
between India and Bangladesh on the sharing of Ganges water. Violating this
understanding India started diverting the Ganges water in the upstream
unilaterally in 1976 & 1977. Unilateral withdrawal of Ganges water during
the dry months resulted serious adverse effects on environment, agriculture,
industries, fisheries, navigation, river regime, salinity contamination in
the surface and ground water, etc. in the southwestern and western areas of
Bangladesh. Covering almost 20% of countries area is 30,000 sq. km inhabited
by about 30 million people.
Historical natural flow at Farakka dwindled due to human intervention in the
upstream of the Ganges within the Indian territory. Moreover, the Ganges
water has also polluted with the toxic chemicals and heavy metals from
industrial effluent discharged into the river within the India. Withdrawal
of the Ganges water upstream of Farakka varies from 40,000 cusec to 45,000
cusec during the month of March & April apart from diversion at Farakka to
the feeder canal which means India has been withdrawing about 60,000 to
80,000 cusec of water from the Ganges leaving a very negligible amount of
flow for Bangladesh in recent years.
After failing in attempts to resolve this issue peacefully and amicably
Bangladesh raised the issue of Ganges water sharing in the UN General
Assembly session in 1976. Confronting adverse international opinion India
had to sign an ad hoc agreement for 5 yrs on Ganges water sharing in 1977
where she had agree to the just share of Bangladesh on the available flow
and to increase the flow at Farakka through augmentation to meet the
increasing demand of water of both Bangladesh and India. India also agrees
to include Nepal for finding long term solution to the problem. The basic
principles of 1977 agreement were the following:
1.. Sharing period would be from 01 January to 31 May divided into 15
slots each having 10 days.
2.. Sharing was on the basis of 75% dependable flow at Farakka between
1948 and 1973.
3.. Sharing proportion of Bangladesh and India was 60:40 respectively with
a minimum flow of 34,500 for Bangladesh and 20,500 cusec for India. In case
of decrease in flow at Farakka under extreme situation. Bangladesh was
guaranteed with 80% of its share during each of the slots.
4.. Regional co-operation for augmenting the flow at Farakka was agreed
upon and the augmented flow would be shared proportionately.
1977 agreement was expired in 1982 and India denied extending it. The then
military ruler Gen.Ershad succumbed to the Indian pressure and signed a MOU
scrapping the 1977 agreement where the interest of Bangladesh was
compromised and the guarantee clause was excluded. MOU signed in 1982 was
expired in 1985 and extended to 1988 through two other similar extensions.
From 1989 onward India refused to come to any deal with the Bangladesh on
Ganges water sharing. No treaty or agreement existed till 1996 during which
the average low flow has come down to 10,000 to 12,000 cusec with one
extreme event of 9000 cusec. During the period of the last democratically
elected Govt. of Bangladesh Begum Khaleda Zia in spite of all assurance of
the Indian Prime Minister Narashima Rao to reach a just solution to the
Ganges water sharing, India fully avoided reaching any agreement with the
Govt. Bangladesh again raised the issue in the UN General Assembly but to no
effect.
In the mean time it is observed that average high flow of the Ganges
downstream of Farakka increase from 1,745,300 cusec to 1,959, 400 cusec and
the average low flow decrease from 70,700 to 10,000 cusec bed level aggraded
along with the remarkable rise in high water level for which flood
vulnerability has increased.
With the installation of the current Govt. of SK. Hasina Wazed after the 12
June'96 election, the govt. started negotiating with India on the Ganges
water sharing. Things moved very rapidly and treaty was reached between the
two countries on 12 Dec'96. The basic principles of the recent treaty are as
follows
1.. The flow at Farakka was calculated on the basis of average flow ( 50%
dependable flow ) for the period of 1948 to 1988.
2.. Proportion of sharing between Bangladesh and India is 45:55 and in
some cases the proportion will be 30:70
3.. During the period from 1 March to 31 May the sharing will be on the
basis of so called hydraulic cycle when one side will have 35000 cusec
guaranteed flow and the other side will receive rest of the flow. In such a
cycle when the flow is 50,000 cusec when India will receive 35,000 cusec and
Bangladesh will receive only 15000 cusec.
4.. when the flow falls below 50,000 cusec no sharing principle will
exist, Bangladesh and India will sit immediately to decide equitable sharing
5.. The same principles will be applied to the sharing of flow of other
common rivers.
From the above figures, it is evident that Bangladesh receives lower amount
of flow as per 1996 treaty than the 1977 agreement and quantum of decrease
varies from 7117 to 144 cusec during critical period from 21-28 Feb to 11-20
May. On the other hand, India receives more flow as per 1996 treaty than the
1977 agreement which varies from 14590 to 4180 cusec during the same period.
During this period Bangladesh will loose about 1.2 million avert of water
which is sufficient to irrigate about 1.2 million acres of land the economic
values of which is to the true of some million US$ every year.
Apart from the decrease of share of Bangladesh on the Ganges water, there is
no provision in the treaty to augment the flow through regional co-operation
unlike 1977 agreement. Sharing treaty did not take into account the quality
of water which is generally be recognized in India that Ganges water is
highly polluted with toxic chemicals and heavy metals. The quantum of flow
which will be available to Bangladesh will not be able to redress the
problems of environmental degradation, high level of salinity in surface and
ground water, navigability, fisheries and deterioration of river regime
rather all the environmental degradation will continue unabated. This has
been revealed by the FAP study on Southwest Water Resources Management.
According to the said FAP study Bangladesh will need a minimum flow of
55-60,000 cusec during the critical period of the year ( March & April ) to
meet its demand of water for agriculture and industrial development as well
as to maintain ecology, navigability and control salinity intrusion in soil
surface & ground water etc. If we put these figures in April, then
Bangladesh will fall shortest of 32,000 cusec of water during April. If
Bangladesh receives 90% of lowest quantum of its share i.e. 15,000, then
minimum flow availability for Bangladesh will be 13,500 cusec in case of
extreme shortfall. Then the shortfall in water for Bangladesh will be to the
tune about 45,000 cusecs.
The news item circulated by the Govt. owned Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
(BSS) and the Prime Minister SK.Hasina her self that Bangladesh will receive
a minimum flow of 35000 cusec and Bangladesh receives more water than the
1977 agreement are misleading and contrary to the fact. The reasons for
willful distortion of the facts and withholding the actual scenario on 1996
water treaty from the members of the public is a matter of grave concern for
Bangladesh
Although the treaty has been signed for 30 years, India may scrap it after 5
years and may also continue beyond 30 years. Recent publication in India
Today (January 1-15) issue show that the flow availability has gone down to
around 50,000 cusec in the months of March and April during last 5/6 years.
This is not due to any natural cause rather this happened due to upstream
abstraction of water in Utter Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and West Bengal. Up
stream abstraction of Ganges flow likely to increases in future causing
reduction of flow at Farakka as well as down stream of it.
Taking advantage of the recent treaty India has already entered into
agreement with Bhutan to divert flows of Sankos and Manas which are
tributary to the Brahmaputra to the Ganges. According to international law
inter basin transfer of water is unlawful. If India succeeded in diverting
the flow from Sankos and Manas , then , Bangladesh is loosing its
Brahmaputra water also. India has already constructed diversion structure
over Teesta & Mahananda and also planning to construct reservoir on the
Barak which is the main source of Meghna. In one sentence it can be
concluded that India is trying to strangulate Bangladesh over the sharing of
water of common rivers. If the upstream flow in all the river systems of
Bangladesh reduces in dry months , then Bangladesh is definitely heading
towards a ecological disaster in near future.
Finally the 1996 treaty is devoid of any arbitration clause in case of
either party to uphold the provision of the treaty.
Future will definitely tell how far the treaty is to the advantage or
disadvantage of Bangladesh. At present, this can conformably be concluded
that the treaty failed to protect the far reaching interest of Bangladesh.
continued ..
Maruf
Chairperson,
Bangladesh Strategic &
Development Forum.
http://www.bdsdf.com
Torpedo
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