India-Bangladesh - Teesta River Issue | Political Science & International Relations: Mains Optional - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


 
 
 
India- Bangladesh: Issues and opportunities on sharing on Teesta river 
and how to achieve effective management of transboundary rivers 
 
 
 
 India and Bangladesh share a total of 56 transnational rivers. Hence the realm of 
water cooperation a crucial aspect of the bilateral relationship. Diplomatic 
dialogues on water sharing for some of the rivers such as Ganga date to pre-1971 
period, when Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan. 
 Bangladesh is in the lower most riparian terrain in the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin. 
It implies that the country gets access to abundant amount of silt that greatly 
assists in rejuvenation of the soil.  
 However, the same geographical location imposes a strategic concern of being on 
a constant alert of developments along the course of rivers in the upper terrain, i.e. 
India as it can affect both the flow and release of water bodies in its territory.  Of 
Bangladesh's over 230 rivers, 57 are transboundary; 56 of those flow through 
India. According to the FAO of the UN, the ratio of Bangladesh's external 
dependency for water is over 90 percent. 
 Though Bangladesh shares approximately only 4% of this basin area, in contrast 
to India’s 79 per cent, this nevertheless represents 37 per cent of Bangladesh’s 
total area. Bangladesh is highly dependent on three major transnational rivers: the 
Padma (Ganga), the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and the Megha (Barak).  
 These waterways act as a lifeline for the farmers of the country, who represent 60 
per cent of the total population. In addition, fish from these rivers comprise the 
diet of close to 80 per cent of Bangladeshis.  The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 
1996 presents one example of water sharing between the two neighbours with a 
Joint Technical Committee to monitor developments and needs of the countries.  
 Given such a geo-strategic condition, Dhaka has always pressed for the 
continuation of talks on developing water sharing mechanisms with India even 
when the bilateral ties were relatively turbulent owing to different political 
regimes in Bangladesh. 
 
The Importance of  Teesta river: 
 
 The Teesta river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, originates in the Teesta Kangse 
glacier and flows through the state of Sikkim and West Bengal before entering 
Bangladesh. After the setting up of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers 
Commission in 1972, an ad hoc arrangement on sharing of Teesta waters was 
made in 1983, with India receiving 39 percent of the water and Bangladesh 36 
percent of it.  
 The Teesta river issue assumed significance after the conclusion of the Ganga 
Water Treaty in 1996.  
 According to a report on the Teesta by The Asia Foundation in 2013, its flood 
plain covers about 14% of the total cropped area of Bangladesh and provides 
direct livelihood opportunities to approximately 7.3% of its population. 
 Jotetaa Bhattacharjee argues that in spite of the steady growth in India-
Bangladesh ties in the past few years, the non-resolution of Teesta waters has 
been a sore point. Former Bangladesh’s ambassador to India, Tarique Karim 
calls Teesta dispute as litmis test to bilateral relationship. 
Page 2


 
 
 
India- Bangladesh: Issues and opportunities on sharing on Teesta river 
and how to achieve effective management of transboundary rivers 
 
 
 
 India and Bangladesh share a total of 56 transnational rivers. Hence the realm of 
water cooperation a crucial aspect of the bilateral relationship. Diplomatic 
dialogues on water sharing for some of the rivers such as Ganga date to pre-1971 
period, when Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan. 
 Bangladesh is in the lower most riparian terrain in the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin. 
It implies that the country gets access to abundant amount of silt that greatly 
assists in rejuvenation of the soil.  
 However, the same geographical location imposes a strategic concern of being on 
a constant alert of developments along the course of rivers in the upper terrain, i.e. 
India as it can affect both the flow and release of water bodies in its territory.  Of 
Bangladesh's over 230 rivers, 57 are transboundary; 56 of those flow through 
India. According to the FAO of the UN, the ratio of Bangladesh's external 
dependency for water is over 90 percent. 
 Though Bangladesh shares approximately only 4% of this basin area, in contrast 
to India’s 79 per cent, this nevertheless represents 37 per cent of Bangladesh’s 
total area. Bangladesh is highly dependent on three major transnational rivers: the 
Padma (Ganga), the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and the Megha (Barak).  
 These waterways act as a lifeline for the farmers of the country, who represent 60 
per cent of the total population. In addition, fish from these rivers comprise the 
diet of close to 80 per cent of Bangladeshis.  The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 
1996 presents one example of water sharing between the two neighbours with a 
Joint Technical Committee to monitor developments and needs of the countries.  
 Given such a geo-strategic condition, Dhaka has always pressed for the 
continuation of talks on developing water sharing mechanisms with India even 
when the bilateral ties were relatively turbulent owing to different political 
regimes in Bangladesh. 
 
The Importance of  Teesta river: 
 
 The Teesta river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, originates in the Teesta Kangse 
glacier and flows through the state of Sikkim and West Bengal before entering 
Bangladesh. After the setting up of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers 
Commission in 1972, an ad hoc arrangement on sharing of Teesta waters was 
made in 1983, with India receiving 39 percent of the water and Bangladesh 36 
percent of it.  
 The Teesta river issue assumed significance after the conclusion of the Ganga 
Water Treaty in 1996.  
 According to a report on the Teesta by The Asia Foundation in 2013, its flood 
plain covers about 14% of the total cropped area of Bangladesh and provides 
direct livelihood opportunities to approximately 7.3% of its population. 
 Jotetaa Bhattacharjee argues that in spite of the steady growth in India-
Bangladesh ties in the past few years, the non-resolution of Teesta waters has 
been a sore point. Former Bangladesh’s ambassador to India, Tarique Karim 
calls Teesta dispute as litmis test to bilateral relationship. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Historical Background: 
 
 According to Amit Ranjan, Historically, the root of the disputes over the river 
can be located in the report of the Boundary Commission (BC), under Sir Cyril 
Radcliffe to demarcate the boundary line between West Bengal (India) and East 
Bengal (Pakistan, then Bangladesh from 1971).  
 The All India Muslim League demanded the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri 
districts on the grounds that they are the catchment areas of Teesta river 
system.  
 It was thought that by having the two districts, the then and future hydro 
projects over the river Teesta in those regions would serve the interests of 
the Muslim-majority areas of East Bengal.  
 Members of the Indian National Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha 
opposed this.  
  In the final declaration, the BC gave a major part of the Teesta’s catchment 
area to India. 
 
Issues in sharing of Teesta river: 
 
Conflictual Federalism: 
 
 In 2011, India agreed to share 37.5 percent of Teesta waters while retaining 42.5 
percent of the waters during the lean season between December and March.  
 However, the deal never went through due to opposition from West Bengal 
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who strongly opposed the treaty.  
Page 3


 
 
 
India- Bangladesh: Issues and opportunities on sharing on Teesta river 
and how to achieve effective management of transboundary rivers 
 
 
 
 India and Bangladesh share a total of 56 transnational rivers. Hence the realm of 
water cooperation a crucial aspect of the bilateral relationship. Diplomatic 
dialogues on water sharing for some of the rivers such as Ganga date to pre-1971 
period, when Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan. 
 Bangladesh is in the lower most riparian terrain in the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin. 
It implies that the country gets access to abundant amount of silt that greatly 
assists in rejuvenation of the soil.  
 However, the same geographical location imposes a strategic concern of being on 
a constant alert of developments along the course of rivers in the upper terrain, i.e. 
India as it can affect both the flow and release of water bodies in its territory.  Of 
Bangladesh's over 230 rivers, 57 are transboundary; 56 of those flow through 
India. According to the FAO of the UN, the ratio of Bangladesh's external 
dependency for water is over 90 percent. 
 Though Bangladesh shares approximately only 4% of this basin area, in contrast 
to India’s 79 per cent, this nevertheless represents 37 per cent of Bangladesh’s 
total area. Bangladesh is highly dependent on three major transnational rivers: the 
Padma (Ganga), the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and the Megha (Barak).  
 These waterways act as a lifeline for the farmers of the country, who represent 60 
per cent of the total population. In addition, fish from these rivers comprise the 
diet of close to 80 per cent of Bangladeshis.  The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 
1996 presents one example of water sharing between the two neighbours with a 
Joint Technical Committee to monitor developments and needs of the countries.  
 Given such a geo-strategic condition, Dhaka has always pressed for the 
continuation of talks on developing water sharing mechanisms with India even 
when the bilateral ties were relatively turbulent owing to different political 
regimes in Bangladesh. 
 
The Importance of  Teesta river: 
 
 The Teesta river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, originates in the Teesta Kangse 
glacier and flows through the state of Sikkim and West Bengal before entering 
Bangladesh. After the setting up of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers 
Commission in 1972, an ad hoc arrangement on sharing of Teesta waters was 
made in 1983, with India receiving 39 percent of the water and Bangladesh 36 
percent of it.  
 The Teesta river issue assumed significance after the conclusion of the Ganga 
Water Treaty in 1996.  
 According to a report on the Teesta by The Asia Foundation in 2013, its flood 
plain covers about 14% of the total cropped area of Bangladesh and provides 
direct livelihood opportunities to approximately 7.3% of its population. 
 Jotetaa Bhattacharjee argues that in spite of the steady growth in India-
Bangladesh ties in the past few years, the non-resolution of Teesta waters has 
been a sore point. Former Bangladesh’s ambassador to India, Tarique Karim 
calls Teesta dispute as litmis test to bilateral relationship. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Historical Background: 
 
 According to Amit Ranjan, Historically, the root of the disputes over the river 
can be located in the report of the Boundary Commission (BC), under Sir Cyril 
Radcliffe to demarcate the boundary line between West Bengal (India) and East 
Bengal (Pakistan, then Bangladesh from 1971).  
 The All India Muslim League demanded the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri 
districts on the grounds that they are the catchment areas of Teesta river 
system.  
 It was thought that by having the two districts, the then and future hydro 
projects over the river Teesta in those regions would serve the interests of 
the Muslim-majority areas of East Bengal.  
 Members of the Indian National Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha 
opposed this.  
  In the final declaration, the BC gave a major part of the Teesta’s catchment 
area to India. 
 
Issues in sharing of Teesta river: 
 
Conflictual Federalism: 
 
 In 2011, India agreed to share 37.5 percent of Teesta waters while retaining 42.5 
percent of the waters during the lean season between December and March.  
 However, the deal never went through due to opposition from West Bengal 
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who strongly opposed the treaty.  
 
 
 
 Although Article 253 of the Indian constitution gives power to the Union 
government to enter into any transboundary river water-related treaty with a 
riparian state, the Centre cannot do it arbitrarily without taking into 
consideration the social, political and economic impact of such a treaty in the 
catchment area. 
 
Insecurity of Northen Bengal: 
 
 Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, "For India to share water, possibilities have to be 
explored on how the people of northern West Bengal can be compensated in the 
lean season.  
 Otherwise, the Teesta river is liable to dry up like the Ganga did when we 
inked the Ganga water sharing deal in 1996.” 
 "Kolkata port has now become dead because of the diversion of water to 
Bangladesh.  
 In addition, arsenic is being found in several areas as the ground water level 
has gone so low, endangering millions of lives.  
 That experience has made Bengalis bitter, so they are apprehensive about 
sharing the waters of the Teesta," 
 According to Rupak Bhattacharjee, One of the reasons for Banerjee not 
accepting the new deal on the Teesta is confusion over the agreed percentage of 
water to be shared between India and Bangladesh.  
 The deal says that Bangladesh will receive 48% of the waters. This means, 
Bangladesh would get something around 33,000 cubic feet per second 
(cusec) of water annually, instead of the 25,000 cusecs originally agreed 
upon. 
  She has said that releasing so much water to Bangladesh would affect 
irrigation systems in five districts of the North Bengal – Coochbehar, 
Jalpaiguri, South and North Dinajpur, and Darjeeling – which constitute 
some of the poorest blocks in her state. 
 
Proliferation of storage projects: 
 
 Kalyan Rudra had been critical of the big projects on the river like the Teesta 
Barrage Project in Jalpaiguri district and hydropower projects of the National 
Hydro Power Corporation (stage III and IV) in the Darjeeling district of West 
Bengal.  
 Siltation has been a major problem, with projected capacities decreasing at 
alarming rates, often before the entire project is completed. 
 Evaporation from the reservoirs and seepage of water from canals deprived 
the marginal land of the command area from the water that it was assured 
during the planning of the project.  
 The dams that were designed to moderate floods have created floods by 
releasing excess water at the peak of the monsoon.”  
 Nilanjan Ghosh also points out that inorganic process of killing the river by 
as many as 30 hydropower projects (most of which are in Sikkim) in the 
stretch of the Teesta (operating and planned).  
Page 4


 
 
 
India- Bangladesh: Issues and opportunities on sharing on Teesta river 
and how to achieve effective management of transboundary rivers 
 
 
 
 India and Bangladesh share a total of 56 transnational rivers. Hence the realm of 
water cooperation a crucial aspect of the bilateral relationship. Diplomatic 
dialogues on water sharing for some of the rivers such as Ganga date to pre-1971 
period, when Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan. 
 Bangladesh is in the lower most riparian terrain in the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin. 
It implies that the country gets access to abundant amount of silt that greatly 
assists in rejuvenation of the soil.  
 However, the same geographical location imposes a strategic concern of being on 
a constant alert of developments along the course of rivers in the upper terrain, i.e. 
India as it can affect both the flow and release of water bodies in its territory.  Of 
Bangladesh's over 230 rivers, 57 are transboundary; 56 of those flow through 
India. According to the FAO of the UN, the ratio of Bangladesh's external 
dependency for water is over 90 percent. 
 Though Bangladesh shares approximately only 4% of this basin area, in contrast 
to India’s 79 per cent, this nevertheless represents 37 per cent of Bangladesh’s 
total area. Bangladesh is highly dependent on three major transnational rivers: the 
Padma (Ganga), the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and the Megha (Barak).  
 These waterways act as a lifeline for the farmers of the country, who represent 60 
per cent of the total population. In addition, fish from these rivers comprise the 
diet of close to 80 per cent of Bangladeshis.  The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 
1996 presents one example of water sharing between the two neighbours with a 
Joint Technical Committee to monitor developments and needs of the countries.  
 Given such a geo-strategic condition, Dhaka has always pressed for the 
continuation of talks on developing water sharing mechanisms with India even 
when the bilateral ties were relatively turbulent owing to different political 
regimes in Bangladesh. 
 
The Importance of  Teesta river: 
 
 The Teesta river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, originates in the Teesta Kangse 
glacier and flows through the state of Sikkim and West Bengal before entering 
Bangladesh. After the setting up of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers 
Commission in 1972, an ad hoc arrangement on sharing of Teesta waters was 
made in 1983, with India receiving 39 percent of the water and Bangladesh 36 
percent of it.  
 The Teesta river issue assumed significance after the conclusion of the Ganga 
Water Treaty in 1996.  
 According to a report on the Teesta by The Asia Foundation in 2013, its flood 
plain covers about 14% of the total cropped area of Bangladesh and provides 
direct livelihood opportunities to approximately 7.3% of its population. 
 Jotetaa Bhattacharjee argues that in spite of the steady growth in India-
Bangladesh ties in the past few years, the non-resolution of Teesta waters has 
been a sore point. Former Bangladesh’s ambassador to India, Tarique Karim 
calls Teesta dispute as litmis test to bilateral relationship. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Historical Background: 
 
 According to Amit Ranjan, Historically, the root of the disputes over the river 
can be located in the report of the Boundary Commission (BC), under Sir Cyril 
Radcliffe to demarcate the boundary line between West Bengal (India) and East 
Bengal (Pakistan, then Bangladesh from 1971).  
 The All India Muslim League demanded the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri 
districts on the grounds that they are the catchment areas of Teesta river 
system.  
 It was thought that by having the two districts, the then and future hydro 
projects over the river Teesta in those regions would serve the interests of 
the Muslim-majority areas of East Bengal.  
 Members of the Indian National Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha 
opposed this.  
  In the final declaration, the BC gave a major part of the Teesta’s catchment 
area to India. 
 
Issues in sharing of Teesta river: 
 
Conflictual Federalism: 
 
 In 2011, India agreed to share 37.5 percent of Teesta waters while retaining 42.5 
percent of the waters during the lean season between December and March.  
 However, the deal never went through due to opposition from West Bengal 
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who strongly opposed the treaty.  
 
 
 
 Although Article 253 of the Indian constitution gives power to the Union 
government to enter into any transboundary river water-related treaty with a 
riparian state, the Centre cannot do it arbitrarily without taking into 
consideration the social, political and economic impact of such a treaty in the 
catchment area. 
 
Insecurity of Northen Bengal: 
 
 Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, "For India to share water, possibilities have to be 
explored on how the people of northern West Bengal can be compensated in the 
lean season.  
 Otherwise, the Teesta river is liable to dry up like the Ganga did when we 
inked the Ganga water sharing deal in 1996.” 
 "Kolkata port has now become dead because of the diversion of water to 
Bangladesh.  
 In addition, arsenic is being found in several areas as the ground water level 
has gone so low, endangering millions of lives.  
 That experience has made Bengalis bitter, so they are apprehensive about 
sharing the waters of the Teesta," 
 According to Rupak Bhattacharjee, One of the reasons for Banerjee not 
accepting the new deal on the Teesta is confusion over the agreed percentage of 
water to be shared between India and Bangladesh.  
 The deal says that Bangladesh will receive 48% of the waters. This means, 
Bangladesh would get something around 33,000 cubic feet per second 
(cusec) of water annually, instead of the 25,000 cusecs originally agreed 
upon. 
  She has said that releasing so much water to Bangladesh would affect 
irrigation systems in five districts of the North Bengal – Coochbehar, 
Jalpaiguri, South and North Dinajpur, and Darjeeling – which constitute 
some of the poorest blocks in her state. 
 
Proliferation of storage projects: 
 
 Kalyan Rudra had been critical of the big projects on the river like the Teesta 
Barrage Project in Jalpaiguri district and hydropower projects of the National 
Hydro Power Corporation (stage III and IV) in the Darjeeling district of West 
Bengal.  
 Siltation has been a major problem, with projected capacities decreasing at 
alarming rates, often before the entire project is completed. 
 Evaporation from the reservoirs and seepage of water from canals deprived 
the marginal land of the command area from the water that it was assured 
during the planning of the project.  
 The dams that were designed to moderate floods have created floods by 
releasing excess water at the peak of the monsoon.”  
 Nilanjan Ghosh also points out that inorganic process of killing the river by 
as many as 30 hydropower projects (most of which are in Sikkim) in the 
stretch of the Teesta (operating and planned).  
 
 
 
 Though hydropower is claimed to be ‘non-consumptive’ use of water 
being operational as ‘run-of river’, during the phases of low flows the 
water needs to be stored in the ‘pondages’ upstream of these projects.  
 Successive projects at very a short distance from each other substantially 
fragment the river, dry up the downstream, and prove detrimental for 
biodiversity and critical ecosystem services like water provisioning and 
fisheries. 
 
Political Pressures: 
 
 A narrative has also emerged in Bangladesh that the ruling Awami League has 
been “giving in” to India’s demands while getting nothing in return.  
 This spans across various issue over shared rivers between the two 
countries such as  
 The proposed Tipaimukh dam by India on a tributary of the Meghna 
river,  
 More recently, the water diversion from Gazaldoba by India has also 
been linked to the growing food insecurity in the northwestern part 
of Bangladesh. 
 According to Joyetaa Bhattacharjee,  
 Bangladesh perceives India to be harbouring a Big Brother syndrome. 
 Its experience with the Farraka barrage (which allegedly caused water 
shortage downstream, a charge India denies) further deepens Bangladesh’s 
apprehensions.  
 Finally, its relationship with India has been fodder for much political 
chest-beating in that country. 
 The Opposition accuses Sheikh Hasina of being pro-India and often 
overlooking the interests of Bangladesh. The non-signing of the Teesta is 
considered her failure. 
 
Agricultural misuse: 
 
 Nilanjan Ghosh pointed that High water consuming crops are another problem. 
 The acreage of dry season paddy or boro—a highly water-consuming 
crop—has increased significantly in both North Bengal and northwest 
Bangladesh.  
 Vote bank politics have kept governments in both the countries from 
attempting to counsel producers to diversify.  
 An unregulated expansion in irrigation has created the acute shortage of 
water while the specificity of the basin and the unilateral water 
withdrawal by India to meet the irrigation requirements in North Bengal 
has brought the two countries at loggerheads. 
 
Ecological: 
 
 Trinamool Congress (TMC), argues that the glaciers feeding water into the 
Teesta increasingly melt and heighten the risk of drought in several parts of the 
state if the river water were shared with Bangladesh.  
Page 5


 
 
 
India- Bangladesh: Issues and opportunities on sharing on Teesta river 
and how to achieve effective management of transboundary rivers 
 
 
 
 India and Bangladesh share a total of 56 transnational rivers. Hence the realm of 
water cooperation a crucial aspect of the bilateral relationship. Diplomatic 
dialogues on water sharing for some of the rivers such as Ganga date to pre-1971 
period, when Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan. 
 Bangladesh is in the lower most riparian terrain in the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin. 
It implies that the country gets access to abundant amount of silt that greatly 
assists in rejuvenation of the soil.  
 However, the same geographical location imposes a strategic concern of being on 
a constant alert of developments along the course of rivers in the upper terrain, i.e. 
India as it can affect both the flow and release of water bodies in its territory.  Of 
Bangladesh's over 230 rivers, 57 are transboundary; 56 of those flow through 
India. According to the FAO of the UN, the ratio of Bangladesh's external 
dependency for water is over 90 percent. 
 Though Bangladesh shares approximately only 4% of this basin area, in contrast 
to India’s 79 per cent, this nevertheless represents 37 per cent of Bangladesh’s 
total area. Bangladesh is highly dependent on three major transnational rivers: the 
Padma (Ganga), the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and the Megha (Barak).  
 These waterways act as a lifeline for the farmers of the country, who represent 60 
per cent of the total population. In addition, fish from these rivers comprise the 
diet of close to 80 per cent of Bangladeshis.  The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 
1996 presents one example of water sharing between the two neighbours with a 
Joint Technical Committee to monitor developments and needs of the countries.  
 Given such a geo-strategic condition, Dhaka has always pressed for the 
continuation of talks on developing water sharing mechanisms with India even 
when the bilateral ties were relatively turbulent owing to different political 
regimes in Bangladesh. 
 
The Importance of  Teesta river: 
 
 The Teesta river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, originates in the Teesta Kangse 
glacier and flows through the state of Sikkim and West Bengal before entering 
Bangladesh. After the setting up of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers 
Commission in 1972, an ad hoc arrangement on sharing of Teesta waters was 
made in 1983, with India receiving 39 percent of the water and Bangladesh 36 
percent of it.  
 The Teesta river issue assumed significance after the conclusion of the Ganga 
Water Treaty in 1996.  
 According to a report on the Teesta by The Asia Foundation in 2013, its flood 
plain covers about 14% of the total cropped area of Bangladesh and provides 
direct livelihood opportunities to approximately 7.3% of its population. 
 Jotetaa Bhattacharjee argues that in spite of the steady growth in India-
Bangladesh ties in the past few years, the non-resolution of Teesta waters has 
been a sore point. Former Bangladesh’s ambassador to India, Tarique Karim 
calls Teesta dispute as litmis test to bilateral relationship. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Historical Background: 
 
 According to Amit Ranjan, Historically, the root of the disputes over the river 
can be located in the report of the Boundary Commission (BC), under Sir Cyril 
Radcliffe to demarcate the boundary line between West Bengal (India) and East 
Bengal (Pakistan, then Bangladesh from 1971).  
 The All India Muslim League demanded the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri 
districts on the grounds that they are the catchment areas of Teesta river 
system.  
 It was thought that by having the two districts, the then and future hydro 
projects over the river Teesta in those regions would serve the interests of 
the Muslim-majority areas of East Bengal.  
 Members of the Indian National Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha 
opposed this.  
  In the final declaration, the BC gave a major part of the Teesta’s catchment 
area to India. 
 
Issues in sharing of Teesta river: 
 
Conflictual Federalism: 
 
 In 2011, India agreed to share 37.5 percent of Teesta waters while retaining 42.5 
percent of the waters during the lean season between December and March.  
 However, the deal never went through due to opposition from West Bengal 
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who strongly opposed the treaty.  
 
 
 
 Although Article 253 of the Indian constitution gives power to the Union 
government to enter into any transboundary river water-related treaty with a 
riparian state, the Centre cannot do it arbitrarily without taking into 
consideration the social, political and economic impact of such a treaty in the 
catchment area. 
 
Insecurity of Northen Bengal: 
 
 Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, "For India to share water, possibilities have to be 
explored on how the people of northern West Bengal can be compensated in the 
lean season.  
 Otherwise, the Teesta river is liable to dry up like the Ganga did when we 
inked the Ganga water sharing deal in 1996.” 
 "Kolkata port has now become dead because of the diversion of water to 
Bangladesh.  
 In addition, arsenic is being found in several areas as the ground water level 
has gone so low, endangering millions of lives.  
 That experience has made Bengalis bitter, so they are apprehensive about 
sharing the waters of the Teesta," 
 According to Rupak Bhattacharjee, One of the reasons for Banerjee not 
accepting the new deal on the Teesta is confusion over the agreed percentage of 
water to be shared between India and Bangladesh.  
 The deal says that Bangladesh will receive 48% of the waters. This means, 
Bangladesh would get something around 33,000 cubic feet per second 
(cusec) of water annually, instead of the 25,000 cusecs originally agreed 
upon. 
  She has said that releasing so much water to Bangladesh would affect 
irrigation systems in five districts of the North Bengal – Coochbehar, 
Jalpaiguri, South and North Dinajpur, and Darjeeling – which constitute 
some of the poorest blocks in her state. 
 
Proliferation of storage projects: 
 
 Kalyan Rudra had been critical of the big projects on the river like the Teesta 
Barrage Project in Jalpaiguri district and hydropower projects of the National 
Hydro Power Corporation (stage III and IV) in the Darjeeling district of West 
Bengal.  
 Siltation has been a major problem, with projected capacities decreasing at 
alarming rates, often before the entire project is completed. 
 Evaporation from the reservoirs and seepage of water from canals deprived 
the marginal land of the command area from the water that it was assured 
during the planning of the project.  
 The dams that were designed to moderate floods have created floods by 
releasing excess water at the peak of the monsoon.”  
 Nilanjan Ghosh also points out that inorganic process of killing the river by 
as many as 30 hydropower projects (most of which are in Sikkim) in the 
stretch of the Teesta (operating and planned).  
 
 
 
 Though hydropower is claimed to be ‘non-consumptive’ use of water 
being operational as ‘run-of river’, during the phases of low flows the 
water needs to be stored in the ‘pondages’ upstream of these projects.  
 Successive projects at very a short distance from each other substantially 
fragment the river, dry up the downstream, and prove detrimental for 
biodiversity and critical ecosystem services like water provisioning and 
fisheries. 
 
Political Pressures: 
 
 A narrative has also emerged in Bangladesh that the ruling Awami League has 
been “giving in” to India’s demands while getting nothing in return.  
 This spans across various issue over shared rivers between the two 
countries such as  
 The proposed Tipaimukh dam by India on a tributary of the Meghna 
river,  
 More recently, the water diversion from Gazaldoba by India has also 
been linked to the growing food insecurity in the northwestern part 
of Bangladesh. 
 According to Joyetaa Bhattacharjee,  
 Bangladesh perceives India to be harbouring a Big Brother syndrome. 
 Its experience with the Farraka barrage (which allegedly caused water 
shortage downstream, a charge India denies) further deepens Bangladesh’s 
apprehensions.  
 Finally, its relationship with India has been fodder for much political 
chest-beating in that country. 
 The Opposition accuses Sheikh Hasina of being pro-India and often 
overlooking the interests of Bangladesh. The non-signing of the Teesta is 
considered her failure. 
 
Agricultural misuse: 
 
 Nilanjan Ghosh pointed that High water consuming crops are another problem. 
 The acreage of dry season paddy or boro—a highly water-consuming 
crop—has increased significantly in both North Bengal and northwest 
Bangladesh.  
 Vote bank politics have kept governments in both the countries from 
attempting to counsel producers to diversify.  
 An unregulated expansion in irrigation has created the acute shortage of 
water while the specificity of the basin and the unilateral water 
withdrawal by India to meet the irrigation requirements in North Bengal 
has brought the two countries at loggerheads. 
 
Ecological: 
 
 Trinamool Congress (TMC), argues that the glaciers feeding water into the 
Teesta increasingly melt and heighten the risk of drought in several parts of the 
state if the river water were shared with Bangladesh.  
 
 
 
 
Failure of institutional mechanisms: 
 
 According to Anuttama Benerji, India and Bangladesh have not discussed the 
river water issues (including the Teesta issue) through the Joint River 
Commission (JRC) in the last 10 years. 
 Due to India’s intransigence, Bangladesh had attempted to cultivate China 
and was “considering a proposal from China to dredge and embank large 
portions of the Teesta River so that it formed a single manageable channel.”  
 India had opposed the project since it did not want Chinese technicians close 
to the “Chicken Neck” corridor near Siliguri. 
 
Way forward and Opportunities: 
 
 Sayanangshu Modak suggests that Teesta should serve as an example to the 
Indian government that even the closest of allies would not wait in perpetuity to 
sign a deal and/or agreement but would rather look for other alternatives.  
 India should thus be proactive in conducting its foreign policy given the ever 
changing dynamics of the international order. 
 India and Bangladesh signed an MoU which enabled the former to draw 1.82 
cusec water from the river Feni for providing drinking water to 7000 people of 
Sabroom, a small town in Tripura.  
 The Bangladeshi gesture to allow India to draw water purely on humanitarian 
grounds should be greatly acknowledged.  
 The inauguration of the ‘Maitre Setu’ bridge in a few months’ time will lead 
to enhanced economic partnership between the two States.  
 However, it’s extremely vital that talks on finalizing the treaty should also be 
held concurrently to prevent a repeat of the Teesta episode. 
 Anuttama Benarji suggests that India also has much to gain from the conclusion 
of the treaty. 
  If India signs the treaty, it will be able to send a positive signal to all 
stakeholders within Bangladeshi society and assuage fears that exist in the 
minds of average Bangladeshi about India’s intentions.  
 India will be able to cement its position as an all-weather friend of 
Bangladesh in the neighborhood and in due course of time, it will be able to 
further develop a robust economic and strategic partnership without worrying 
about the party in power in Bangladesh 
 Amit Ranjan suggests to reduce the burden on the Teesta by slicing down the 
number of multi-purpose hydro projects on it. This would help the river provide 
enough waters for irrigation purposes. 
 On the issue of crop selection, Sayanangshu Modak argues that the focus 
should further be on an agreement that recognizes the needs of the ecosystem 
and explicitly recognizes and addresses the root of the problem—
unsustainable use of water for boro paddy. 
 Maya Mirchandini suggests that According to a report by the Institute for 
Defence Studies and Analyses,  
 Due to changing demographics, economies and environmental shifts, India is 
expected to become water-stressed by 2025 and water-scarce by 2050.