Farakka Barrage, the disastrous blow by Delhi to Bengal Delta

Water Problems of Bangladesh
Professor M. Maniruzzaman Miah
Former Vice-Chancellor, Dhaka University and Commissioner, ACC

Fifty Seven of our rivers, including 54 from India, enter the country from outside bringing in an estimated volume of 1010 BCM of water annually. An additional 340 BCM is available from local rainfall. Of this huge total an estimated 190 BCM is lost through evaporation and evapo-transpiration.

Eighty percent of the remaining huge total of 1160 BCM is concentrated during the five-month Monsoon period from June to October.

How much water do we need today and in about a quarter of a century (2025) from now? Demands on water is there mainly for irrigation, for domestic consumption and commercial and industrial activities, for forestry, for maintenance of water bodies and protection of biodiversity, besides non-consumptive demands for fish, navigation, dilution, and salinity control of coastal areas.

Demand for irrigation water is indeed great. Bangladesh, as is known, is heavily densely populated. In an area of 147570 sq. km its total population in 2001 was 133 m which leapt to 147 million by 2003 (The state of world population 2003) and this has a propensity to rise further. When will it reach a plateau is yet uncertain. On the other hand, an amount of 80-85 thousand hectares of land is being lost to agriculture every year. This is putting a heavy pressure on already scarce land suitable for agriculture, in turn intensity of cropping is increasing. This would mean an ever increasing demand on irrigation water.

No less important is the accessibility of the people to safe drinking water. The target 10 of Millennium Development Goals is to halve by 2015, the proportion of people without suitable access to safe drinking water. The MDG also enjoins on the states to achieve by 2020 a significant improvement in the lives of slum dwellers, their demands, in particular, for sanitation, sewerage and the like.

The total water requirement today for domestic purposes is approximately 1.33 BCM a year.

All in all we need a quantity of 93881 MCM of water for the period from November to May (WARPO 2001)

Other Problems

It is not only the issue of supply and demand that is important. Our problems related to water are, in fact, multi-faceted. They comprise, in the main, floods, droughts, river erosion on the one hand and provision for such essential non-consumptive demands like maintenance of ecology, environment and bio-diversity on the other.

Floods do visit us regularly each year during the Monsoon. It is both a bane and a boon to us. When flood waters submerge more than a quarter of the country’s landmass it causes immense sufferings to the people, human lives and cattle wealth are lost, crops are damaged and infrastructure and important installations suffer large scale destruction. To give one example, the loss in monetary terms due to the floods of 1998 alone was to the tune of USD 3000 m (BWDB).

Floods however can be a boon also as they replenish the lost fertility of the soils, ward off ingress of saline water into the mainland, resuscitate the dying and derelict channels and river courses, and most important of all, the water bodies and wetlands thus help preserve the essential ecosystem and bio- diversity of the country. The need for preservation of eco-system and bio-diversity is very vital for us.

Bank erosion is yet another disaster that happens consequent upon floods. River-erosion makes at least 20000 families homeless every year. According to a World Disaster Report (2001) published by the IFRCS some 100000 people suffer and 9000 hectares of precious cultivable land are eroded. A majority of the affected people lose their hearth and home never to recover them again, and enter into a cycle of poverty from which they hardly can extricate themselves. It has been estimated that in 2000 alone (Bangladesh Disaster Report) the area and number of people affected were 219310 acres and 415870 respectively causing a financial loss on the order of USD 3286 m.

Drought is another water related disaster that we are facing with increasing intensity. From the quantity of water that is available during the Monsoon months both due to inflow from outside and that generated inside due to rainfall one may have the impression that we have “excess” water in the country. This notion of excess however is fraught with danger.

This is because there is a wide disparity between the wet Monsoon months and dry winter. Monsoon waters available from one year to the other also vary, besides the fact that within the same season the distribution is not uniform.

Variability in total rainfall and its distribution from the normal pattern are frequent indeed. As a general rule whenever that occurs it does affect agriculture, besides impacting on other aspects of our socio-economic life like fisheries, navigation, salinity incursion, wetland bio-diversity and the like. Loss of agricultural output apart, other ills that may be brought about in its wake seriously jeopardize the delicate food security balance.

Bangladesh experienced serious drought in 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1989 in recent years. Records also show that between November 1998 and April 1999 there was practically no rain over a period of 150 days at a stretch. Our calculation based on data collected from WARPO suggests that in the month of March, 2025 we will have a huge shortage of water to the tune of 6306 MCM.

As if that was not enough, now we hear about the Indian mega project of river linking. The essence of this project is that Himalayan rivers will be diverted from their present day course of flowing through Bangladesh and disgorging their waters into the Bay of Bengal to carry waters to the south of India instead. As our water courses are largely fed by the Indian rivers one can imagine what disastrous consequences it will lead to.

We have mentioned above that a major portion of waters in our rivers are contributed by inflow from upstream. This is true not only for the Monsoon but also for the dry months. More and more withdrawal by the upper riparian to meet the increasing demand on freshwater and absence of an all encompassing water-sharing agreement between India and Bangladesh are complicating matters for us. After a tortuous negotiation for over quarter of a century a deal was struck for sharing the Ganges water for a 5-year period from 1977. Then for 14 years again there was no agreement till a treaty on sharing the Ganges water was signed in December, 1996. We have no sharing arrangement with India in respect of other rivers.

We may mention here that water conflicts between riparian countries is nothing new. In fact, one of the important agreement reached at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 was a consensus on principles of navigational use of the Rhine. USA and Mexico entered into sharing of the Rio Grande in 1908. The USA Supreme Court while adjudicating on water conflicts between states set certain principles some of which were later applied in other cases for resolving disputes between riparian countries elsewhere.

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
There has been an awareness among water experts that unless judicious use is made of a
finite resource like water there is bound to be a crisis. The UN conference on Environment and Development in its agenda 21 of Chapter 18 in Rio therefore emphasized the need for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). This principle has gradually become a practical tool for all water experts almost everywhere. The World Water Council, a UNESCO created body has adopted the Global Water Partnership (GWP) as its instrument for implementation of IWRM. The GWP itself works through a network of Regional Water Partnership, the Country Water Partnership and also local level partnership. The network functions through participation of all levels of water users.

Unnecessary jargon has however clouded the definition of IWRM. GWP uses it as a process that promotes the co-coordinated development and management of water, land and related recourses in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystem.

The essential elements of the concept of IWRM are:

1. That planning of water resources use should be for the entire basin, and not based on a single project with limited objectives;
2. That it should envisage development of all aspects of water of an entire basin;
3. That all relevant agencies of the government and all water users must be involved in the planning process;
4. That the goal should be use of water resources in a manner that is sustainable, taking into account environment protection, economic development and social well-being.

Our water-related problems have been outlined above. But being at the lowermost reaches of the big river basins we have no control over situation upstream. We only serve as the conduit of flood waters, sometimes leading to disastrous consequences. Yet, we believe that the problems of water of the Himalayan watershed however intractable they may appear can be solved satisfactorily applying the principles of IWRM regionally with all the co-basin countries of the region sitting under one umbrella. The pre-requisite for this however is neighbourly good will.


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Regional Cooperation for Sharing Trans-boundary River Water
Professor Dr. J. U. Ahmad, FRSC
President, International Farakka Committee Bangladesh
Former Vice Chancellor, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka.

Bangladesh is a land of rivers. The Padma (Ganges), Meghna, Jamuna (Brahmaputra), Karnaphuli, Surma, Teesta, Barak and innumerable large, medium and small rivers, tributaries and distributaries have criss-crossed the country. Out of 57 international rivers flowing through India and Bangladesh, 54 of them are originated in Himalayan region and other parts of India. The rainwater in Bangladesh accounts for only 7% of the total fresh water flow. Remaining 93% is coming from trans-boundary river sources fed by rain and ice-melting.

At the global scale, freshwater of lakes and rivers, which are the main sources for water consumed by the human societies, contain on an average about 90,000 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) of water, which is about 0.26 percent of total global freshwater reserves. The Himalayan region contains about 25% of the global fresh water.

India constructed a dam at Farakka on the upstream of the Ganges and started withdrawal of water on the basis of an ad-hoc agreement signed on 18 April, 1975. In this agreement Bangladesh gave consent for withdrawal of 11-16 thousand cusec water from April 21 to May 31, for a limited period of 41 days. In return India promised that rest of the water will flow through Bangladesh. But after the expiry of that 41 days periods, India, kept on withdrawing water in the lean period of 1975 and 1976. In April 1976, the flow of water at Hardinge point (dam the stream of the Ganges) came as low as 23 thousand cusec against 65 thousand cusec of the corresponding time of previous year.

India signed, a 5 year, water-sharing Treaty with Bangladesh on 5 Nov. 1977. The treaty had a Guarantee Clause for getting 80% of the flow during lean period and an Arbitration clause. After the expiry of the Treaty in 1982, India refused to renew/extend the time period.

Then On October 1982, a two-year mutual agreement, followed by another three years agreement (on Nov. 22, 1985) was signed between the two sides. But in these two agreements, the Guarantee and Arbitration clause of 1977 Treaty were withdrawn. After that on 12 December 1996, a 30-year Water Treaty was signed between India and Bangladesh. This Treaty was also devoid of the Guarantee and Arbitration clauses. After the 1996 Treaty, during the lean period, for the last few years, the flow of water at Hardinge bridge point comes down to 10 thousand cusec, even sometimes as low as 5 thousand cusec.

Adverse Impacts of Farakka Barrage
The main environmental problems already created due to withdrawal and diversion of water through Farakka Barage may be summarized as follows:

1. Due to continuous withdrawal of water through Farakka Barrage for the last 31 years a significant number of rivers in the Padma basin of Bangladesh has already turned into dead rivers. The Garai, a pre-Farakka mighty river now is almost dead. In pre-Farakka days, during rainy season, the maximum flow of water through the Garai used to be in the range of 142-328 thousand cusec, now it has become a memory of the past.

According to a report of Water Development Board, 17 rivers in Bangladesh are already dead. They are (i) Narsunda (Kishoreganj), (ii) Bhubenswar (Rajbari and Faridpur), (iii) Bibiyana and (iv)Shaka Barak (Habigonj), (v) Palang (Sariatpur), (vi) Burinadi (Comilla and Brahmanbaria), (vii) Harihar, (viii) Mukteswari (Jessore), (ix) Hamkura (Khulna), (x) Murichap (Satkhira), (xi) Bamni (Lakshmipur and Noakhali), (xii) Manos (Bogra), (xiii) Baral, (xiv) Chiknai (Natore and Pabna), (xv) Hisha (Kustia), (xvi) Musakhan (Rajbari and Naotre), (xvii) Bharirab (Kustia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Jhenidah, Jessore, Khulna and Bagerhat).

Many rivers are nearly dead. The rivers which can be classified as near-dead are (i) Karatoa (Panchagar, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Bogra and Sirajganj), (ii) Ichamati (Pabna, Manikganj, Dhaka and Munshiganj), (iii) Kaliganga (Kustia, Jhenidah, Magura, Narail, Pirojpur), (iv) Kumar (Kustia, Magura, Faridpur, Jhenidah, Madaripur) (v) Chitra (Narail, Chuadanga, Jhenaidah), (vi) Bhadra (Jessore and Khulna), (vii) Someshwari (Netrokona) and (viii) Nabaganga (Narail).

2. During the dry season when water is much needed in all areas of Bangladesh, in particular for the irrigation of 200 thousand hectres of land under the Ganges-Kobotak project, water becomes almost unavailable.

The Ganges-Kobatak (G.K.) is the largest irrigation project of Bangladesh. It supplies water from the Padma, (Ganga) to 3 takh acres of land. The project consists of 120 miles long main canal, 292 miles long branch canals and 62 miles long sub-branch canals. But scarcity of the Padma water has made the project ineffective. Agriculture in a vast area of Kushtia, Jessore and Faridpur regions comes to a standstill in dry season. Most of the 113 tributaries of the Pamda become dry or have scarce water from November - May.

The water sharing of the Teesta river, ended without any agreement although many meetings were held. The Teesta river near Teesta bridge looks like a part of a desert during dry season. A vast area of land once a grainery of Bangladesh has become desert, and a food-deficient area now.

3. When excessive rain in the upper Ganges basin and ice-melt water creates pressure on the barrage due to abnormal rise of water, India opens all the sluice gates. Then the sudden on rush of water causes flood in Bangladesh or increases the intensity of floods.

4. During the dry season (water-scarce period) the irrigation system based on shallow- tube wells suffers very adversely due to the considerable downward shift of the ground water tables (3-15 meter). On the average, every year the ground water tables are lowered by about 5 m which is recharged from rain water and normal flooding. It has been estimated that 80% ground water recharging comes from normal flooding. Water diversion through Farakka is hindering the recharging process. If the ground water tables continue to go down, after a few years no water will be available through shallow-tube wells. The production of IRRI, Boro Paddy (Dry Season irrigated crops) will be seriously hampered.

5. As a result of the diminished flow, the intrusion of sea water in the southern part of the country. particularly through the Rupsa river, on the bank of which is located one of the major industrial cities, Khulna, has become so pronounced that the salinity has gone up more than sixty times than the pre-Farakka times. The increase of salinity in such magnitude has significantly altered the ecology of the region.

6. As an adverse effect of the Farakka barrage many places of the Murshidabad District of the West Bengal has been suffering from serious water logging. A Report of the West Bengal Government published in 2001 stated that, the changed nature of water flow and the interference at the flow channel have increased the flood disaster. According to Indian Water Expert Mondal and Rudra, ‘Sometimes West Bengal are flooded although there are no significant rainfall in the region, this is undoubtedly due to Farakka Barrage.’

7. In post Farakka period the ground water in many places of West Bengal is registering very high arsenic content, since then the ground water of the district of Rajshahi, which is adjacent to Farakka is also showing high arsenic content.

8. The interrupted and diminished flow of the Ganges has also caused disturbances in the normal sediment transport. As a consequence, the Ganges flood-plain in Bangladesh is being deprived of the natural supply of the micro-nutrients. The amount of carbon transported through this river (more than 10 million Tons per years) will also be diminished, giving rise to less significant contribution to deep sea carbon burial, an important natural process, that particularly helps to off-set the greenhouse effect.

9. Desertification syndromes have already started in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh as a consequence of the withdrawal of water through the Farakka barrage.

By the adverse impacts so far created, on the environment and ecology of Bangladesh by Farakka Barrage, it is logical to term it ‘a undeclared environmental war against Bangladesh.’ But it is pertinent to note that very purpose for which this deathly dam was constructed is defeated. The Farakka Barrage is popularly known in Bangladesh as “Death Barrage.”

Inter-basin River Linking Project

India is now implementing a gigantic project, ‘Inter-basin River Linking Project’ to divert water from all the common rivers. This project has two components i.e (i) the Himalayan components and (ii) the Peninsular component. In the Himalayan component 14 link canals and in the Peninsular component 16 link canals, all together 30 link canals will be excavated within the frame work of the project.

India in its river interlinks project aims to connect 37 rivers by 30 link canals. The total length of these link canals would be approximately 12 thousand Kilometers. The breadth of the link canals have been proposed to be 50-100 m and the depth to be approx. 6 meters.

The main purposes of the project are:

(i) To connect the major two rivers, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra by link canal. For this purpose, water will be transported through Teesta river to Farakka point. Link between Farakka and Subnarekha of Orissa and Mahandi will be established through link-canals. This part of the project will be executed in West Bengal and Assam.

(ii) In another sector of the project Mahandi, Godabari, Krishna Cauberi and Vaippar rivers will be linked. This part of the project will be executed in Orissa, Andhra Prodesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnatak States.

(iii) In the third sector of the project, many tributaries of the Ganges viz. Gandak, Ghagra, Sarda and Jamuna will be linked. Water from Jamuna will be transferred to very far Rajastan region through canals. By another link canal, the water of Sabarmoti river will first be joined with the above mentioned link and then diverted to southern region of India.
In this project not only link canals will be excavated, Dams, Barrages and reservoirs will also be constructed in different areas to store water and to divert water against the natural flow. In addition to that a number of hydroclectric power stations will be commissioned.

India is also executing another Dam construction at Tipaimukh on upstream of Barak river. Tipaimukh is 500 meters down stream of the confluence of Tuivari and Barak Rivers in the district of Churachandapur in the state of Manipur, near the Assam-Monipur boarders. The project has a plan to generate 1500 MW of power. Indian Prime Minister Dr. Monmohan Singh laid the foundation of the dam and it is expected to be completed by 2008. If this dam is completed and goes on operation, there would be serious adverse impacts on water flow in the Surma basin of Bangladesh.

The Indian Govt. has already completed the feasibility studies of most of the components of the project. India has already constructed Dam/Barrages at Tehri, Lakwar, Kishan, Vakra and Kool, Iddaki, Thil, Chamira, Srishilam, Sardar Sorobor and large reservoirs at Nagarjun Sagar, Rihand, Vakhara, Sardar Sorobor, Srishilam, Poukh, Bekhi, Hirakud, Gandi Sagar, Alamati and Upper Wen Ganga. The experts believe that India is gradually constructing these dams/ barrages and reservoirs as a part of its execution of inter basin river link project.

A report published, in the Dams, Rivers and peoples magazine published on January 2005 suggested that there are definite proof that India is executing the river basin link project. The report says that India has constituted a committee under the leadership of the Secretary of the Water Resources Ministry to discuss with different States and groups about the project and its implementation. The committee will identify the environmental and socio-economic problems associated with the project and suggest the Govt. about the remedial measures. The committee while formulating detailed project proposal will also evaluate about the proper utilization of the diverted water [The daily Prothom Alo, 25 February 2005].

The daily Star in an article on August 28, 2005 titled, ‘India’s river linking gains momentum’ wrote, ‘The process of the ambitious inter-linking of major river basins of India seems to have gained pace with the first step taken by the signing of memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Prodesh to link Ken and Betwa rivers [ Component 24, Peninsular component]. So there should not be any confusion about the execution of inter basin river link project by India.

From his Independence Day address in August 2002 to the recent speech at the Indian Science Congress in January 2004, the President of India reiterated his view that interlinking of rivers holds the future for the country.

Indian Former Union Water Resources Minister Priyaranjan Das Munsi has mentioned that, the State Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh concerned with the Ken-Betwa link gave their consent to prepare the Detailed project Report (DPR) of the Interlinking of Rivers Programme. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two States will be signed in this regard, (UNB reports).

The Government of Madhya Pradesh also gave its consent to prepare the Detailed project report (DPR) of the Parbati-Kalisingh-Chambal link. Discussions are under way with Rajasthan for obtaining its consent for DPR. The Minister put emphasis on political will, mutual cooperation and thorough understanding of the issues to materialize the Inter-linking of Rivers Programme. He told members of the Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry that they had followed a policy of “consensus” on such issues.

India’s inter-basin river link project is a threat to the existence of Bangladesh

The upstream withdrawal of water through Farakka Barrage has already started desertification syndrome in Bangladesh, intrusion of salinity in the inland fresh water and created many serious environmental problems including the bio-diversity loss. In addition if India executes the inter basin river link project, then Bangladesh known all over the world as a land of rivers, fishes and rice and a beautifull green land will loose all its present identity. The main averse effects, which can be visualized at present, are as follows:

1. Bangladesh, a lower riparian country will be deprived of its legitimate share of water. As per the present plan of India if one-third or more of the water is withdrawn and diverted from the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Megna, Teesta, Darla, Doodkumar, Karatoa and Mahananda, all most all the rivers of Bangladesh will gradually turn into dead rivers. If most of the water is withdrawn, then Bangladesh will turn into a large desert in near future.

2. As the fresh water flow in rivers will decrease, the intrusion of saline water in ground and surface water would increase. Only due to withdrawal of water by Farakka for more than three decades salinity in inland water has increased many folds. A recent research by our group has revealed that the salinity of water of Bhairab river at Khalishpur, Khulna during monsoon in high tide is 4.6 ppm and in low tide is 3.3 ppm and during winter the salinity is 7.5 and 6.9 ppm respectively. The salinity increases almost twice in winter than monsoon. In Basundia of Jessore, the salinity of water of the same river during winter time is 6.1 and 5.9 ppm in high and low tide respectively. If the inter basin river link project is implemented, the flow of water in rivers will decrease, therefore the intrusion of salinity would increase gradually. As a consequence, the whole of Bangladesh would gradually be turned into a desert.

Due to increase in salinity the yield of paddy would be severly hampered and many varieties of fresh water fishes would extinct. Already the largest mangrove forest of the world, the Sunderban is being depleted. According to experts’ views the increase of salinity and decrease of fresh water flow are the major causes for depletion of the sundarban.

3. The ground water tables will gradually go down. At present in our country high yielding Aman and Boro paddy are being cultivated with the help of irrigation. The principal source of irrigation water is the shallow tube wells, about 70% of the irrigation water comes from them and the sources of remaining 25% are rivers. canals and other surface water sources. When the inter basin river link project will be completed, then no surface water would be available for irrigation in Bangladesh. As the country will have to depend solely on ground water for irrigation, the ground water tables will go down every year. For replenishment of ground water, rain contributes about 20% and river flow about 80%. If the river flow decreases and ultimately stops totally, the 80% of the replenishment process would also stop. When the groundwater level would go down by about 5 meter from the present level, all the shallow tube wells will become non-functional. The implementation of inter basin river link project will bring such situation within a span of less than 10 years.

4. The implementation of inter basin river link project by India will seriously affect the cultivation of all crops and vegetables including the principal crop paddy. According to Statistical year Book, 2000 the country in 1999-2000 produced 23.07 million tons of rice in about 26.46 million acres of land of which about 11.15m acres land was under irrigation. The high yielding varieties are cultivated in irrigated land. If the irrigation process totally stops due to non-availability of groundwater, the rice production will almost come to an end. It has been estimated that there would be a loss in rice production in the tune of 3500 crores Taka annually. The govt. will not be able to import such a huge amount of rice from other countries.

5. When the water tables will go down significantly then even water uplifting through tube wells will not be possible and water for drinking, domestic work and irrigation will become scarce.

6. As the ground water tables go down more and more, arsenic contaminated water will come up, the concentration of arsenic in ground water would increase and risk of arsenic poisoning throughout the country would also increase. Already the contamination of ground water by arsenic in many parts of the country has been reported. As a consequence a large portion of population, more than 40 million are in the risk of arsenic poisoning. The implementation of inter basin river link project would increase the risk in great extent.

7. The diminished water flow will decrease the navigation in inland rivers. Bangladesh had a total inland navigational route of about 24 thousands km in 1971. Due to upstream withdrawal of water, already the country lost about 15.600 km inland navigational route and another 3300 km has become risky for navigation. Presently Bangladesh has only about 6 thousand km inland navigational route [Bangladesh Water Board]. This will also decrease the process of sediment transportation, thereby the river-beds will be filled up and the water flow capacity and the gradients of the river-beds will decrease. Then during rainy season it will be difficult to transport huge amount of water to the Bay of Bengal, thus increasing the intensity and frequency of floods in Bangladesh.

8. Scarcity of fresh water will decrease the food and fish production. Bangladesh would turn into a desert instead of a green land. We have seen during our recent visit that, almost-desert like situation in around the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh.

9. The withdrawal of water by inter basin river link project means the obstruction of natural flow of water. Therefore due to some natural calamities like earthquakes and tremendous pressure of water on dams and barrages for excessive rainfall in the catchments area might cause breakage in dams and barrages. If it happens anytime, the sudden on rush of water from upstream will cause severe flood in Bangladesh and many parts of the country might be washed away.

10. India is planning to construct a dam at the upstream of the Brahmaputra at Dubri in Asam. The place is in the earthquake prone zone. After the construction of this dam, if a severe earthquake takes place, then there might be a catastrophic disaster like that of the Tsunami in Bangladesh.

India’s inter basin river link project is contrary to International laws

There are international protocols for sharing of common rivers flowing through more than one country. It is mandatory to supply the data of the flow of water through a river, its courses, the environment and ecology of the river bank and catchments area and bio-diversity of the country to the country or countries sharing the same river. But India is not supplying any information about its on-going inter basin river link project to Bangladesh.

The rivers included in the inter basin river link projects are all international or common rivers between India and Bangladesh. Therefore unilateral construction of any barrage of upstream, withdrawal of upstream water and change of river course are definitely in violation of the international laws.

The United Nations Convention on the law of the Non-navigational uses of international rivers was adopted by the UN General Assembly on May 21, 1977 vide resolution 51/229. The 37-articles water course convention with its 14 articles annexure give guidelines for the non-navigational uses of international water courses, as well as measures to protect, preserve and manage them.

The Helsinki Rules on the uses of the waters of International Rivers were adopted by the International Law Association at the 52nd Conference held in Helsinki in August 1966. The articles 4 and 5 of the treaty emphasizes that all the states of the river basin while using the water of a common river will consider the economic and social need of the other countries.

Therefore India’s inter basin river link project is a clear violation of these articles.
Article 21 of the Helsinki Rules makes it mandatory for a ‘State of the common river basin to inform the other States about its adopted steps on the use of water flow’

Chapter 2, C on ‘Danger to Human life states’, ‘if the activity or conduct causes pollution that endangers human life in another state, such activity or conduct would probably be deemed inconsistent with the principle of equitable sharing.’

A new dimension has been added to the regime of the international water courses law in 1997 by the International Court of Justice. The International Court of Justice on a controversy between Hungary and Slovakia on a bilateral treaty on the Danube River gave verdict that ‘Hungary had a basic right to an equitable and reasonable sharing of the resources of an international water course’ which was violated by Czuckoslovakia/Slovakia.

The 1997 UN watercourse convention was referred to a authority by the International Court of Justice despite its status not yet being in force.

The article 7(1) of the International watercourses convention adopted in UN is or follows “Each country while using water from an international river must take necessary measures so that the countries in the same river basin do not experience any major damage”

The inter basin river link project of India also clearly violates the above-mentioned article of UN convention. The upstream water diversion would not only cause many major damages to Bangladesh, rather the existence of the country would be at stake.

The Ganges is not a river of Indian in origin. It originates from the Gangotri Glacier of the Himalayas in Tibet- China and also passes through Nepal. Thus India has no legal right to exploit the Ganges water alone. India has also no legal rights to withdraw water from other trans-boundary rivers. In addition to that the loss of bio-diversity, the loss of habitation of aquatic animals and depletion of the Sunderban (declared as a global heritage of mankind by the UNESCO), the largest mangrove forest of the world, all these also violates the laws adopted in many international conventions.

Regional Cooperation for Sharing of Water

Although a large section of the catchment areas of the 57 common rivers falls within India, the catchment areas also include Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China.

The Brahmaputra originates at the Chinese Tibetian region then after flowing 1600 km enters India where the length of the river is about 720 km and finally enters Bangladesh. With the tributaries, the total catchment area of the Brahmapurta basin is about 580 thousand square kilometer. The catchment area of the Ganges basin comprising three countries Nepal, India, and Bangladesh is about 1006 thousand square km.

India always insists that the water sharing agreement should be bilateral. But without the involvement of all the co-riperian countries, a meaningful sharing agreement is not possible. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between India and China on 14 January 2002 for provision of hydrological information namely rainfall, water level, discharge and other relevant information on Yaluzangdu/Brahmaputra river in respect of 3 stations, namely, Nugesha, Yangcun and Nuxia in flood season by China to India. The information will be furnished from 1st June to 15th October every year and will be useful for flood forecasting purposes in the North Eastern Region of India.

As a follow-up of the MOU, an Implementation Plan has also been singed between the implementing agency namely the Central Water Commission, Ministry of Water Resources of India and the Bureau of Hydrology & Water Resources, Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese side has transmitted data to India for the above mentioned 3 stations during the year 2002. The Chinese authorities is being persuaded for providing similar information by setting additional hydrological stations on Langquinzandlu (Sutlej) and Palongzangbu (Tributary of Yaluzangbu/ Brahamputra).

The Himalayan region contains about one-fourth of the world’s fresh water reserve. A just and equitable sharing of water by all countries of the basin would be beneficial for all people of the region. The involment of China, where the Brahmaputra is originated, cannot be ignored at all. The Chinese Premier. Wen Jiabao has reiterated the position of China for regional water sharing. In a joint communiqué during the State visit of the Chinese Prime Minister in Bagladesh on 7-8 April 2005, it was stated, ‘Bangladesh and China have agreed to protect and use the water resources of the common rivers of the basin on equal rights and justice and have also agreed for cooperation in the water resources sector” [BSS April 9, 2005]

For sharing the Mekong River water four nations of south-east Asia already reached mutual understanding. Different states have been sharing water of rivers like the Rhine, Danube, Congo, Nile, Amazon, Zambesi, Chad, Indus etc. No upstream country generally obstructs water to deprive a downstream counting. According to international laws all countries irrespective of their size, population, location, religion, language etc. are equal to one another. Even if a river originates in a particular country and then crosses border, that country cannot deprive others of its water.

The Mekong River Commission has been formed under the supervision of the United Nations for the rational sharing of water of the Mekong river basin amongst the countries - Campochia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Indus valley treaty signed between India and Pakistan under the supervision of the United Nations successfully ended the water dispute of the Indus river between India and Pakistan.

Therefore it is logical to say that a Regional River Commission formed under the supervision of United Nations would usher a new era of cooperation amongst the countries of the Ganges – Brahmaputra - Meghna basin, comprising Bangladesh, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.

There is an urgent need of scientific river training, dredging and effective management of water of the common rivers with the help of international agencies. This could possibly avert the impending danger of environmental disaster and human suffering associated with it. A Regional River Commission could also implement all these agenda.

International Farakka Committee over the years is trying to build national and international opinion and pursuing the agenda that the only solution to end the dispute of water sharing amongst the countries of the region is to formulate a regional water sharing agreement, comprising of all the countries of the river-basins under the supervision of the United Nation which would be able to protect Bangladesh from the impending great danger.

References

1. J U Ahmad, Upstream Water Diversion : A Disaster for Bangladesh, in Documentation on Upstream Water Diversion : A Disaster for Bangladesh IFC, Inc., NY , January, 2006.

2. J U Ahmad, Indian River-link Project, A Threat to the Existence of Bangladesh (book), IFC, Dhaka, March, 2005.

3. S S Ullah and J U Ahmad, Environmental Risks in Bangladesh, in W L Filho et al (edited). Communicating Environmental Risk (book), Centre for Environmental Studies. Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1994.

4. Statistical Year Book, 2002, Government of Bangladesh.

5. http://www.manipuronline.com/features/october...Roversy

6. http://www.indiatogether.com/2003/october/env.netlink

7. http://www.indiatogether.org/2004/feb/env-emsagree.htm

8. http://www.thedailystar.net/2008/0828

9. Dying Rivers Deludge Blow, The Daily Star, Dhaka, April 2, 2005.

10. R. Haque, Effect of Industrial Effluent on the mangrove ecosystem of the Sunderbans (Ph.D. thesis supervised by JU Ahmed), Jahangirnagar University, 2004.

11. J U Ahmad, Major Chemical Pollution Problems of Bangladesh. case studies, J Asia. Soc., Bangladesh Sci. 28 (2), 99-110, Dec. 2002.
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Upstream Water Diversion : A Disaster For Bangladesh

Dr. S. I. Khan
Former Environmental Planner, United Nations
Senior Vice President, IFC Bangladesh.

Surface water is carried into Bangladesh by 57 trans-boundary rivers out of which only 3 rivers come from Myanmar and the rest 54 rivers including the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna come through India.

Most of the tributaries of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra originate in China, Nepal and Bhutan. The Ganges, the Brahmaputra and Meghna carrying water from the upper catchments pass through Bangladesh before discharging into the Bay of Bengal.

Indian plan to divert Bangladesh water includes

* Diversion of Ganges water by Farakka Barrage
* Diversion of Meghna water by constructing a dam at Tipaimukh
* Diversion of trans-boundary rivers by dam/barrage
* Diversion of Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers and their tributaries by Inter-basin River Linking Project.

India is the largest beneficiary of these river networks. In addition India receives 4,000 BCM of annual rainfall. Supported by tropical monsoon climate India is in a very comfortable position in terms of available surface water resource. Further more India has a huge groundwater reserve.

It is true that with increase of population water requirements of all countries of the world will increase. That does not mean that a upper riparian country will divert water from a common river thereby triggering an environmental catastrophe and devastation of a lower riparian country.

From research and studies even by Indian and American experts it has been found that construction of dams/barrages diverting and altering the natural river courses at a huge cost is counter productive. In Japan, United States and in many other countries thousands of dams have been decommissioned and efforts are being made to restore original river course.

Scientists are putting more and more emphasis on

* Scientific water harvesting
* Efficient water management
* Improved agricultural practice
* Minimizing water loss
* Desalinization project to supply domestic and industrial water.

As for example in Agricultural Practice India has the lowest rice production per unit area
Country Rice Production
(Tons per hectare)
China
India
Bangladesh
Japan 4.7
2.1
3.0
8.0


Moreover, if we look at the efficiency of irrigation water use it is found that India has the lowest efficiency in irrigation water use
Country Efficiency of Irrigation water use in %
China
India
Bangladesh
Japan 60
35
60
80



Sources of Bangladesh Water
Wet season:

Trans-boundary flow = 93%
Rainfall within Bangladesh = 7%
___________________________
100%

Dry Season:
Trans-boundary flow = 99%
Rainfall within Bangladesh = 1%
_____________________________
100%

From above it is clear that Bangladesh is fully dependent on trans-boundary river flow for its water requirement.

Rice Production:

Bangladesh now produces just enough food to feed its ever increasing population. Thanks to the introduction of high yielding variety of rice called IRRI rice during dry season. Season-wise rice production shows that out of total production of rice

Dry season Boro/IRRI constitutes = 80%
Wet season Aman constitutes = 20%
_________________________________
100%

Irrigation water for Boro/IRRI Rice:

The high yielding variety of rice during dry season cannot be grown without full irrigation water supply. This irrigation water comes from

Groundwater = 80%
Surface water = 20%
___________________
100%

Moreover, major portion of drinking water, household water, industrial water, etc comes from groundwater. As a result groundwater level goes down on the average by 15 feet every year. If it depletes below 26 feet groundwater cannot be lifted by shallow tube-well which is overwhelmingly used in Bangladesh.

But by the grace of our creator every year this depleted groundwater is recharged by

Inundation of low lying land by flood = 12 feet = 80%
Rainfall within Bangladesh = 3 feet = 20%
___________________________________________
15 feet = 100%
Aman Rice during wet season:
About 50% of agricultural land in Bangladesh in the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the
Meghna basins is naturally inundated by normal flooding and Aman rice is grown in these inundated land. If there is no normal flood in Bangladesh there will be no Aman paddy.
Necessity of River Water in Bangladesh:

* To push back saline water that enters inland during flow tide. Otherwise salinity intrusion will result in desertification.
* For recharging of groundwater for ensuring water supply for high yielding variety of IRRI rice, drinking, household use, industrial use, cultured fisheries, etc
* For production of Aman rice
* For maintaining natural fish habitats
* For sustaining vegetation, flora and fauna
* For protecting Sundarban, the largest mangrove forest
* For maintaining navigational routes
* For maintaining ecological balance
* For maintaining environment for sustainable economic grow and general welfare of the people
* For reducing concentration of arsenic in groundwater, etc.

Bangladesh needs more than 1400 BCM of surface water to meet the above requirements
Impact on Poverty Alleviation:

With the assistance from Donors and development partners the country and the people of Bangladesh has been trying hard to come above the vicious curse of poverty. Bangladesh has become self sufficient in food and income and employment opportunities have been going up towards self-reliance.

Diversion of water by India will destroy the water based economy of Bangladesh and plunge more than 80% or 120 million people into eternal poverty, hunger, malnutrition.

Adverse Impacts in India

* The proposed Link Canal connecting the Brahmaputra river with the Ganges through West Bengal will require 4,000 hectares of land which will be permanently lost.
This Link Canal will destroy famous tea gardens in Darjeeling and seriously restrict the movement of wild animals and human beings.
* Due to the construction of dam at Tipaimukh across Barak River in Monipur State of India thousands of hectares of forest land will go under water and thousands of people must be shifted to other locations thereby jeopardizing the culture and living style of local people.
* Hundreds of dams and barrages proposed under the inter basin river linking project will destroy natural environment, change the natural course of rivers and adversely affect the ecological balance.
* Thousands of kilometers of new canals will divide different parts of India thereby creating isolation of human settlements and activities.
* International Conventions/Cooperation:

Helsinki Convention, United Nations Convention and other international regulations prohibit diversion of water from common international rivers that will harm the interest of other riparian country/countries.

Showing respect to international conventions there are many international cooperation on sharing water of the common international rivers. For example
* Indus Basin Treaty between India and Pakistan
* Danube Regional Project between 11 countries in Europe
* Mekong River Commission for guaranteeing equal rights of Mekong river water between Laos, Kampuchea, Vietnam and Thailand. The main provision in Mekong River Commission is that no country will construct any dam in the Mekong river thereby changing the natural water regime. All these riparian countries will share water on equitable basis for agriculture, fisheries, hydroelectricity, domestic water supply etc.

Primary Approach:

* Formation of a Regional Water Commission with all riparian countries namely China, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh under the supervision of United Nations and World Bank.
* With the help of friendly countries, international organizations and human rights groups to put pressure on India for abandoning counter productive, environmentally suicidal and economically destructive projects that in the long run will harm the country.
* India should be encouraged to go for less expensive, more productive and environment friendly projects e.g. scientific water harvesting of rain water, increasing efficiency of irrigation water use, improved on-farm water management, improved agricultural practice, use of high yielding variety of seeds, etc.
* India may go for desalinization of sea water for domestic, industrial and other uses.
* Option of using vast reserve of groundwater is always there for India.

Conclusion

* When India has so many other options, constructing dam/barrage and diverting Bangladesh water thereby by destroying the country and the people of Bangladesh can never be justified.
* United Nations should immediately intervene and persuade India in following international and United Nations Conventions.
* World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation and other donors should be urged not to finance projects that violate International Convention and destroy the country and people of Bangladesh.
* Bangladesh should take initiative in forming a Regional Water Commission with all riparian countries under the auspices of United Nations and World Bank.
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diplomatic Missions of Bangladesh should take immediate steps in arousing world conscious against Indian plan of upstream water diversion that will destroy the country and the people of Bangladesh.
* Bangladesh should formally ask compensation from India for the damage caused to its economy and environment due to the construction of dams/barrages on the cross border rivers including Farakka Barrage.

Bangladesh should join environment conservation group, human rights group and nature sustaining groups in other riparian countries in the region and form a joint platform to launch United Movement against the disastrous diversion of natural flow of rivers that will destroy natural environment, force people to abandon their ancestral homes, destroy agriculture, destroy natural fish habitats and result in saline water intrusion thereby turning fertile lands into desert.
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The Ganges Gives Red Signals
M. K. Majumder
Editor, The New Nation, Dhaka and Adviser, IFC

Bangladesh’s share of Ganges flow fell short of the schedule set by the 1996 water treaty in the entire month of January and the first ten days of February, and made water experts worried about the country’s share during the next two months and a half of this dry season.

Responsible quarters have it that during the recent meeting of the Joint Expert Committee (JEC) the Bangladesh side informally sought to know from India the reasons behind the shortfall. It received hints that Ganges water might have been diverted at further upstream to address problem of water scarcity faced by some Indian states, highly placed sources said.

Figures released in Dhaka yesterday by the Joint Rivers Commission, Bangladesh, show that during the first ten days of January, Ganges water available at the Hardinge Bridge point was 54,415 cubic feet per second (cusecs) as against the indicative schedule of 67,516 cusecs for the period. The shortfall in Bangladesh’s share was thus nearly 13,000 cusecs.

Bangladesh’s share of water of the river continues to fall short of the indicative schedule mentioned in the agreement. In the second ten-day period the shortfall was nearly 9,000 cusecs. The deficit was about 5,500 cusecs during the last 11 day period of January and about 5,000 cusecs during the first ten days of the current month.

Since the signing of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty in December 1996, Bangladesh’ share was markedly less than the indicative schedule in the very first lean season that followed. The lowest ever share of 6,000 cusecs was recorded in the dry season of 1997. Deficiency in Bangladesh’s share was recorded also in 2001, but the figures were never released.

Responsible quarters told The New Nation that during the last 10-day period of March 2001 Bangladesh’s share of water averaged 19,898 cusecs as against the indicative schedule of 29,688 cusecs. On 24th of that month the flow had fallen to 15,200 cusecs. Again during the second 10-day period of April that year the Ganges flow to Bangladesh averaged 20,830 cusecs whereas the indicative schedule was 27,633 cusecs. The actual flow had come down to 15,302 cusecs and 15,040 cusecs on 14 and 15 April that year.

Similarly during the first ten days of May, 2001 the average flow was 27,039 cusecs as against the indicative schedule of 32,351 cusecs. The flow had come down to 18,794 cusecs on 5th May and 19,056 cusecs on the day before that year, according to the responsible quarters.

As per the terms of the treaty Ganges water is shared during the lean months from January to May. JRC, Bangladesh in a press release has said that the latest figures are based on joint monitoring of water available at the Hardinge Bridge point, located about 90 kilometres downstream of the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal (India).

Water experts in Bangladesh are of the view that actual release of water at Farakka point would be less than these figures because a river flowing downstream regenerates some flow from ground water coming from land areas on its two sides. The JRC, Bangladesh could have given an idea about the extent of water sharing if it was in a position to tell how much water was available at Farakka barrage.

This point came up for discussion between the two sides when in the first year of operation of the 1996 treaty Indian experts claimed that they released water as per the indicative schedule, but Bangladesh experts complained that water even at the Hardinge Bridge point measured well below that schedule. The two countries then appointed a joint committee to monitor water availability at Farakka and apportionment of share at that point. Report of the committee was never made public.

Water experts are worried also by the fact that the indicative schedule of share of water was worked out on the basis of the availability of water at Farakka thus giving Bangladesh no say over the utilisation of water at further upstream of the Ganges. Water sharing is thus dependent on factors like quantum of flow affected not only by ice-melt up in the Himalayas and rainfall, but also by water withdrawal on the Indian part of the basin.

As per the treaty the two countries are to have equal shares if the water available at Farakka is 70,000 cusecs or less. However, in case the availablity of water at Farakka is up to 75,000 cusecs, Bangladesh’s share will remain fixed at 35,000 cusecs while India will get the balance of flow. In case the water available at Farakka is in excess of 75,000 cusecs, India will get 40,000 cusecs and Bangladesh the balance of flow.

The treaty put a condition that India and Bangladesh each should receive guaranteed 35,000 cusecs of water in alternative three 10-day periods from March 1 to May 10.

The water sharing arrangement under the treaty was to be reviewed by the two governments at five years’ interval or earlier, but so far no such review has taken place.

Against this backdrop even this treaty runs the risk of turning irrelevant in the near future if the gigantic plan taken up by India to inter-link Himalayan rivers to divert water to her southern states is implemented in 15 years from now.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development in September last year, provided for the development and implementation of ‘national/regional strategies, plans and programmes with regard to integrated river basin, watershed and groundwater management…’ Bangladesh lies at the lower reaches of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna river basins, but is yet to be consulted by upper riparian India as she goes ahead with her US$ 110 billion plan to inter-link Himalayan rivers.

The WSSD Plan of Implementation also underlined the need for allocation of water ‘among competing uses is a way that gives priority to the satisfaction of basic human needs and balances the requirement of preserving or restoring ecosystems and their functions…’ Water experts in Bangladesh pose a question as to whether enough water would be left in the 53 common rivers for Bangladesh to share after India unilaterally implements its present plan to divert water of Himalayan rivers towards her southern states. “Are then the fresh water wetland ecosystems and the coastal and marine ecosystems of Bangladesh dependent on flows of these rivers destined to be doomed?” they ask.

Ref: 16 February 2003, The New Nation, Dhaka
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Regional River Commission is a Must
Sayed Tipu Sultan
SECRETARY GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL FARAKKA COMMITTEE, INC., NY

In 1976, the late great leader of the peasants and working class of Bangladesh, Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani drew the attention of the world to the disastrous plight of all living beings in the lower Ganges basin on account of upstream withdrawal of water in the sub-Himalayan drainage system. The issue of Farakka diversion of Ganges by India causing environmental damage to Bangladesh was brought before the UN General Assembly. Following a resolution in the UNGA, an interim agreement was reached in 1977 for sharing of natural flow of the Ganges to allow partial diversion at Farakka point, subject to a minimum guaranteed discharge for the lower riparian in the lean season and possible augmentation of the river flow at Farakka, as many diversions further upstream rendered the lean season discharge at Farakka point feebler. The agreement lapsed in 1982 and unilateral diversion of Ganges waters at Farakka continued with or without any provisional undeestanding reached between the two countries. The environmental damages to Bangladesh piled up over the years. Lives and livelihood of several crores or people and the flora and fauna of the Sunderban were gravely endangered. In 1993, the International Farakka Committee was formed, and the diaspara of Bangladesh joined the fratenity of the mother country to echo their cry of distress. In 1996, Bangladesh under duress settled for a 30 years agreement for Ganges water sharing with India, without any guarantee of minimum discharge to sustain the courses of the river downstream. the matter of augmentation of Ganges flows at Farakka point has also not been addressed. As a result, salinity spread and creeping desertification is taking hold of the lower Ganges basin in Bangladesh, and the Sunderban, the largest mangrove forest in the world which is part of world heritage is slowly dying.

A river-linking project by India to divert the other major Himalayan river Brahmaputra now threatens the ecology of entire Bangladesh, as Brahmaputra provides the lion’s share of surface water resources of Bangladesh. The third major river of Bangladesh, the Meghna is threatened by the construction of a dam at upstream Tipaimukh upstream over its feeder flows from the Barak. A dam at Gajaldoba in India has rendered the Teesta in Bangladesh dry in many parts already this season. In fact, all the fifty five common rivers, big or small, that enter Bangladesh from India are suffering from reckless upstream diversions. This brooks disaster not only for Bangladesh but also for the entire eastern sub-Himalayan river system. The cumulative effect of random structural interferences upstream severely blocking natural drainage to the Bay cannot but destabilize the entire eastern sub-Himalayan parts, and may precipitate catastrophic phenomena in the geo-tectonically active region. Several countries along the eastern Himalayas have stakes in the matter. The International Farakka Committee has therefore taken the initiative to hold international exchanges and learned deliberations on the issue. The international conference in Dhaka on August 9-10 is part of our international campaign for redress of random upstream diversions causing disaster for the people and for the ecological balance of Bangladesh. We intend also to draw attention to the vulnerability of the regional environmental stability. Apart from advocacy of the cause of those distressed by random river diversions, a purpose of our compaing is to persuade concerned countries to from a Regional River Commission particularly for the river Brahmaputra, for the resources of which China, India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh all these co-riparian countries depend. We propose that a Branmaputra River Commission be formed at governmental, non-governmental and expert levels, to benefit equitably all the co-riparian taking into account multilateral dimensions of the river’s resources, in the pattern of Danube River Commission or the Mekong River Authority.
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Sharing Rivers for Peace, Security and Development of South Asia by Applying the Framework Recommended by the World Commission on Dams

Prabin Man Singh
Wafed, Nepal

Continental South Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan) is the most populated region in the world with about one sixth of the global population. The population is ever increasing at the rate of 1.5%. If it continues to increase in this rate, then by 2015 the total population of South Asia will reach over 1.8 billions . Demand of food for the existing and future population, unplanned urbanization and rapid industrialization are some of the biggest challenges these countries are facing. Despite these challenges, the region is bestowed with priceless water resources. Ganges, Bhramaputra and Indus are the major river basins in the region. Nepal, India and Bangladesh share Ganges river basin, whereas India and Bangladesh share Bhramaputra river basin, and likewise, Indus river basin is shared by India and Pakistan.

These rivers are life and blood of these countries. Bangladesh relies on water from Ganges and Bhramaputra for irrigation and drinking water. Nepal is dreaming to earn ‘hydrodollar’ by selling its immense hydroelectricity potential from many tributaries and sub-tributaries of Ganges. Pakistan also relies on Indus River for irrigation of its fertile North Eastern region. India with its more than one billion populations and rapid industrialization requires more water for irrigation and electrification than ever before.

Three bi-lateral treaties to share the major tributaries of Ganges – Koshi, Gandak and Mahakali (in India known as Sharada) – had been singed between the government of India and Nepal in 1954, 1956 and 1996 respectively. The Government of Bangladesh and India singed a Farakkah treaty on sharing of Ganges River in 1996. Similarly, the government of Pakistan and India singed the treaty to share Indus River in 1960.

However, benefit-sharing of these rivers has been unequal and over politicized. The benefit-sharing had not been done in accordance with the present and future water needs of each of the riparian countries. Each country has been trying to get the largest share leading to more controversies. The negotiation process has become a foul play with each other in the absence of basic framework for sharing these rivers for peace, security and regional cooperation. India being the most powerful country in the region with distinct political and geographical advantages has been in control of the negotiation process most of the time.

In another scenario, India’s Interlinking Rivers Project (ILRP) targets to interlink all international rivers flowing through Nepal to India. This is yet another example of such faulty process. India has neither consulted Nepal nor taken any approval of the co-riparian countries before undertaking such a mega project. The ILRP also plans to divert water from all major rivers flowing to Bangladesh without proper consultation and prior approval. In response to it, the Government of Bangladesh has already objected to this scheme for being too destructive for its survival and ecosystem. The Government of Nepal is yet to make any formal statement regarding this. The people and campaign groups and communities have been opposing the ILRP since 2003.

Often international rivers demarcate the boundaries between the co-countries such as Mahakali, Narayani and Mechi Rivers in case of India and Nepal. Over a period of time, the flows of these rivers have shifted laterally. With such shifts, the boundary line between the co-countries also changes. Land area previously in the right bank of the river has come to the left bank of the river and vice versa. Encroachment of disputed territory by another co-riparian country as in the case of Susta (Narayani river basin) and Mahakali river basin in Nepal are some examples of increasing conflicts. India and Pakistan had already fought four wars against each other since 1947 – the year of independence and separation. One of the main reasons behind these wars have been on the issue of Indus River water-sharing.

Despite the widest possibilities of sharing these rivers for peace, security and development in the region, no sincere efforts have been done so far. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as being the only inter-governmental body does not address such issues but only some regional economic and trade issues. No regional framework has been worked out on making the best use of these rivers for peace and prosperity in the region unlike the case of Mekong or other transboundary river basins in other parts of the world.

Water should be regarded as a source of co-operation through the resolution of existing conflicts. Disagreements about how our limited and common water resources should be used are not uncommon but proper solutions must be found through mutual understanding and negotiation that are socially, economically, politically and environmentally acceptable. This can only be achieved through the free, prior and informed participation of all the river basins-based stakeholders. The new global framework suggested by the World Commission on Dams in its report in 2000 for the best management of water and energy resources is certainly an approach to adopt. But it is very clear the denial of transboundary water-related problems and the failure in their resolutions will remain a major obstacle for regional cooperation, peace and prosperity of South Asia.

Name and address of author:
Prabin Man Singh
WAFED, GPO Box 2125
60 New Plaza Marga, Putalisadak
Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel/fax: 4429741/4419610
E-mail: wafed@ntc.net.np, prabinsingh@gmail.com

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Simulation of Fluoride transport in Central-South Delhi, India-using Visual MODFLOW/MT3D
Sunil Kumar Srivastava1 ; AL. Ramanathan2 and K.J. Anandha Kumar3

1= IMS Engineering College, Department of Chemistry, Ghaziabad, India, 2=School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India-110067, 2= Central Ground Board, A2, W3, Curzon Road Barracks, KG Marg, New Delhi, India-110001

Abstract

Groundwater resource with are being increasingly threatened by the leaching of contaminants from uncontrolled landfill containing industrial and/ municipal waste. Further transport of these pollutant with flow of groundwater make to hazardous of people living around this area vulnerable to health hazard. Okhala/Indraprastha landfill is one of the major sources of groundwater pollution in South Delhi. Simulation of contaminant transport has been carried out for a small area ~ 298.17 km2, which is divided in 800 cells with 348 active cells. Triangular study area is surrounded by Arawali ridge on two sides and on one side by the Yamuna River (constant Head).

The transport of contaminant shows contaminants fluoride will reach to Safdarjang and Lodhi Garden within 634 days after its release from Indraprastha landfill, while it will completely contaminate Lodhi Garden, Mulchand, AIMS, Bardarpur, Prahlad pur, Nehru Place and Railway Colony and Khanpur, within 3520 days after its release in groundwater through Okhala and Indraprastha landfill. The trend and rate of contamination of groundwater shows, it will contaminate completely south-central Delhi within short period of its release in groundwater. In natural system the contaminant transport is also controlled by adsorption, dispersion and chemical reaction. The variations of saturation index of secondary minerals indicate that contamination of groundwater aquifer and transport is controlled by adsorption process in South-Central Delhi groundwater aquifer system. Geothite, Ferric hydride, Jarosite and Haematite all shows increase in saturation index (precipitation) with the distance indicate change in pH of groundwater and precipitation of heavy metals at surface of the minerals.


Correspondence Address- Groundwater Simulation lab, Lab No. 208A/209, School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India-110067, E-mail-sunil16s@yahoo.co.in; sunil16sster@gmail.com
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The Proposed Tipaimukh Dam
Engr. Muhammad Hilaluddin.


Abstract
The proposed Tipaimukh Dam, a 162 meter high rock filled earthen dam on the Barak River is to be located downstream of the confluence of Barak and Tuivai Rivers near Tipaimukh in the Manipur State of India and about a hundred kilometers upstream from the nearest Amalshid border area in Sylhet of Bangladesh, with a declared aim to produce 1500 MW electric power by 2011.

Our deep concern is that the Prime Minister of India’s “2012 Power for All” Mission envisages to enslave the North Eastern region of India as the ‘future powerhouse of the nation’ and has led to a national ranking study listing of 168 hydropower projects in the Brahmaputra and Barak River Basins in the region, having a combined installed capacity of 63,000 MW.

We recognise that the undemocratic, anti-people, anti-environment and anti-life agenda of States, political lobbies, corporations and international financial institutions continue to lead to large dam construction specifically targeted on indigenous peoples’ and ethnic nationalities’ territories for which free, prior and informed consent has never been obtained.

Our consideration:

1. The primary condition required for setting up dam projects, such as the Tipaimukh Dam, is to involve the peoples who are at great risk to be adversely affected through a participatory, democratic, transparent and accountable debate, a meaningful consultation process wherein all section of the populace participate in deliberations according to the key advances made by the World Commission on Dams (WCD) in elaborating its recommendations;

2. The WCD explicitly identified the demerits and shortcomings of large dams in terms of flood control, hydroelectric power generation, destructions to the environment and ecosystems in both upstream and downstream regions;

3. The absence of meaningful consultation with and the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples to be affected by the Tipaimukh Dam Project clearly contradicts the strategic priorities developed by the WCD;

4. The Tipaimukh Dam will permanently submerge an area of more than 300 km per square in the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram, displacing the thousands of indigenous and tribal groups like Zeliangroups, Hmar and Mizo people, uprooting them from their age-old traditional occupations and cultural heritage; the massive submergence of about 70 villages and a portion of National Highway 53 and displacement will sure to cause serious consequences upon the affected peoples, depriving them from their ancestral inalienable rights to their land and forests without provision of viable alternative sources of livelihood, adversely affecting the socio-cultural devices of the entire population of the threatened areas and eventually resulting in a genocide;

5. The Tipaimukh Dam will impede the natural flow of many rivers of the Barak Basin and block fish migration; destroy upstream forests, habitats, lands and cultural heritage, require the relocation and resettlement of thousands of indigenous people and local communities;

6. Watersheds and river basins are the logical building blocks of water-heritage stewardship, planning and management and such an approach must incorporate the primacy of the interests of all rights-holders, as well as flora, fauna and ecosystems that exist within its boundary – from headstreams to river-mouths; in India, water-heritage management and planning for dams and other water-regulation structures are not prepared within the context of watershed-scale implications and outcomes;

7. The process of excluding people in the decision making process constitute a violation and contravention of international customary law and legally binding instruments and, most importantly, of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development and the draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights to the development and the draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

8. The Tipaimukh Dam Project was entirely developed and approved without ever informing the Government of Bangladesh or involving its people in any meaningful exercise to assess the downstream impacts of the dam, which is a clear and deliberate deviation from usual practices, as well as a gross violation of co-riparian rights of Bangladesh; India is deliberately avoiding consulting with Bangladesh as required by international conventions (such as the UN Convention of 1997) and the Ganges Treaty of 1996;

9. As Bangladesh and India share many rivers and water resources, the rivers or their tributaries flowing across the northern parts of India are mostly international rivers. The Barak River in Manipur State of India eventually turns into Meghna River in Bangladesh, the joys and sorrows that these common rivers mean for the peoples of all the co-riparian states are interwoven, inter-wined and naturally shared;

10. The ecological needs and economic future of Bangladesh are not a part of the planning process and dam’s design in the Eastern Himalayan Fragile, sedimentary rock and tectonic structure;

11. The Barak and its main distributaries rivers, the Surma and Kushiyara in the Meghna basin, member of one of the World’s most dynamic and diversified hydrologic tri-basin, known as the Ganga- Brahmaputra- Meghna (GBM) basin, of which the Meghna basin is the smallest but most unpredictable and chaotic in hydrological nature, which receives and carries all the surface waters originating in the Meghna basin to the Bay of Bengal through the upper and lower Meghna rivers;

12. Bangladesh is created from and exists today as a riverine ecosystem. The proposed Tipaimukh Dam will drastically and adversely alter river flow in the downstream region in hydrological, morphological, enological consequences of withdrawal of monsoon as well as dry season water flow from the Barak upon downstream region of the withdrawal point are feared to be catastrophic; any change in nature flow of water, sediment and nutrient carrying features of these rivers must have an obvious impact upon the ecology of the whole basin area.

13. The cumulative effects of the dam upon the whole northeastern part of Bangladesh directly, and upon the adjacent areas consequently, will be of colossal scale; the riverine livelihood of millions, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, biodiversity, economy and culture will be devastated; this will create another threatening and chronic sources of disaster, already formed in the northwestern part of the country due to the Farakka Barrage constructed in India in the early part of the seventies of the past century.

14. The usual practice of reserving water for hydroelectric power plant, such as the proposed Tipaimukh Dam, through filling the reservoirs during the months of May and June to keep it operational round the year will face unmanageable impediments in cases of excessive rainfall on upper riparian of the Meghna basin during the months of July and August while the project authorities will have no option but to open the gates of the high dam for the emergency releases, often causing unpredicted nightmarish flash flood at the downstream reach both within Indian territorial boundary and eastern part of Bangladesh hugely damaging crops and infrastructures; thus the downstream impacts by low and peak hour discharges from the dam will result in the ultimate annihilation of the civilisation in the Barak basin as we know it.
15. The construction of the proposed high dam in a very geologically sensitive zone above the long-recognised Taithu Fault line will only serve to provoke frequent and major earthquakes inviting a major tsunami-like disaster and endangering the lives, land and forest of both India and Bangladesh.
16. An impartial monitoring and effective compliance mechanism of the existing international agreements concerning the Ganges and Teesta Rivers is non-existent; nor has there been a truthful review of the legalities and implementation lapses of these agreements.

Our unanimous demand:

a ) The Government of India to immediately abandon the Tipaimukh Dam Project as proposed;

b) All riparian SAARC countries, People’s Republic of China and Myanmar (Burma) to work together to solve water-related disputes among all rights-holders in the context of pro-people and ecologically wise basin-based water-heritage management in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin incorporating the recommending of the World Commission on Dams;

c) A thorough, comprehensive and impartial review of the implementation of the standing agreements concerning the sharing of international water between Bangladesh and India;

d) Co-riparian states in the South Asia region to promote and advocate for and adopt ecological approaches to all international rivers, which will attract support from the international community;

Our commitment:

a) A closely coordinated peoples’ campaign, spanning the Barak River Basin, against the proposed Tipaimukh Dam Project; and to pro-actively seek allies and support towards the success of the campaign;

b) A wide and accessible public dissemination, to the regional civil society and international community, of all relevant and critical information regarding the proposed Tipaimukh Dam and its impacts, and rights violations that have begun to be perpetrated upon the peoples and their natural heritage;

c) An independent and comprehensive investigation, looking at all the environmental, social and cultural aspects; to study the up-stream and downstream impacts of the proposed Tipaimukh Dam project;

d) Advocate for a South Asian Regional Riparian Union agreement within the framework of newly proposed disaster management and poverty alleviation set forth in the Dhaka Declaration of SAARC 2005;

e) To promote and actively increase people-to-people contacts and collaborations in the SAARC and adjacent countries to work together for peace, human rights, and equitable and appropriate development of the peoples, by the peoples and for the peoples.