Decode Politics: Why Mamata is up in arms over Modi-Hasina talks on Teesta water-sharing

Teesta is a 414 km-long river flowing through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal, before flowing into the river Meghna in Bangladesh. It is the fourth-largest trans-boundary river shared between India and Bangladesh after the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna river systems.

Teesta is one of the main sources of irrigation for North Bengal, as well as the Rangpur region of Bangladesh, especially during the dry months. It’s also one of the main sources of hydroelectric power for the mountainous state of Sikkim.

Right from the Partition in 1947, the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) had demanded equitable distribution of Teesta water, which has always been opposed by West Bengal and Sikkim.

In 1972, shortly after the liberation of Bangladesh, a Joint River Commission (JRC) was formed to verify the water sharing options between the two neighbours. Based on the JRC’s recommendations, it was decided in 1984 that Bangladesh’s share will be 37.5% and India’s share 42.5%, with 20% of the total water of the Teesta left unallocated.

In 1998, Bangladesh launched the Teesta barrage irrigation project to supply water for three cropping seasons a year in Rangpur and started demanding more share of Teesta water. In 2011, there was a proposal of an interim deal, which was shelved after Bengal and Sikkim opposed it. Since then, the deal has remained unsigned.

During PM Hasina’s visit to India in December 2021, the leaders discussed the Teesta water-sharing issue. While no formal agreement was reached, there were indications of a renewed commitment to resolving the dispute.

Why West Bengal is opposed to the deal?

In 2011, the West Bengal government commissioned a study on the Teesta issue under noted hydrologist Kalyan Rudra, based on which, it came to the conclusion that any treaty that allocates more water to Bangladesh will dry out the state’s northern parts and hurt its farmers.

Currently, Teesta waters irrigate 9,22,000 hectares of land in North Bengal and provide 67.60 MW of hydropower, all of which would be hampered by Bangladesh’s demand.

The alternative solutions Mamata has proposed include sharing of water from rivers like the Torsa, which too flows from Sikkim via North Bengal into the river Padma in Bangladesh. She has proposed that the two countries set up a commission to ascertain the level of water flowing through the Torsa and the quantum of water that can be shared.

What Bangladesh wants?

India already enjoys a 42.5% share of Teesta water. Bangladesh wants 50% of the water between December and May every year, because that’s when the flow into the country drops drastically. Over 1 lakh hectare of land in Rangpur — its rice bowl — could not be cultivated during winter due to “excessive withdrawal” by India during that period. Bangladesh demands a fairer share of the water during its dry season.

Why Teesta Treaty is important?

The previous Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government, headed by Begum Khaleda Zia, was not very receptive to India’s concerns. During its tenure between 1991 and 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006, the BNP gave shelter to leaders and cadres from various militant outfits based in India’s Northeast.

But Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League (AL) party followed an India-friendly policy, including zero tolerance for anti-India militant outfits, eventually leading to Bangladesh banning Assam’s ULFA.

The cooperation between the two neighbours facilitated the finalisation of a land boundary agreement between them. It is anticipated that the Teesta deal will help Delhi aquire more political leverage, which is necessary to check the rising influence of China in the Bay of Bengal region.

The treaty is believed to be so important for the diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh that last year, even social activist and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar — a strident critic of PM Modi on several issues — urged the Bengal CM to agree to the sharing of Teesta water with Bangladesh. “India and Bangladesh are countries with friendly relations. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina was accorded a grand welcome at the G20 meeting. Then why should we have any differences? We appeal to CM Mamata Banerjee that she should go ahead with the (Teesta) agreement,” Patkar had said.

What is Centre’s position?

After meeting PM Hasina, PM Modi said, “On the conservation and management of Teesta waters, a technical team will soon visit Bangladesh for talks.”

A proposed mega project in Rangpur that envisages the building of large reservoirs and related infrastructure to manage and conserve Teesta water assumes significance as along with India, China has expressed interest in it. In fact, the decision to send an Indian technical team to explore the project followed after the Chinese showed interest in it.

Modi’s call to establish an Assistant High Commission (AHC) in Rangpur in north-west Bangladesh is an attempt to increase New Delhi’s footprint in the country. An AHC is a mid-size diplomatic establishment, between an embassy and a consulate in size and scale. This would be India’s fifth AHC in Bangladesh — besides ones in Rajshahi, Khulna, Chittagong and Sylhet.

What is Mamata’s stand?

On New Delhi’s talks with Dhaka over sharing of Teesta waters, CM Mamata said the proposed new treaty would affect Bengal’s interests. “The health of the Teesta river has suffered from construction of a series of hydropower projects… It seems that in the meeting, the Government of India has proposed a bilateral cooperation between India and Bangladesh for the restoration of Teesta water supply to Bangladesh, but no concrete steps have been taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to restore the river in its original form and health on the Indian side,” she said in her letter to PM Modi.

“Water flow in the Teesta has gone down over the years. It is estimated that if any more water is shared with Bangladesh, lakhs of people in North Bengal will get severely impacted due to inadequate availability of irrigation water. In addition, Teesta water is needed for meeting drinking water requirements in North Bengal. It is therefore not feasible to share Teesta waters with Bangladesh,” she wrote.

Stating that India and Bangladesh share a very close relationship — geographically, culturally and economically — the CM wrote: “However, water is very precious and is the lifeline of the people. We cannot compromise on such a sensitive issue, which has severe and adverse implications on the people. People of West Bengal will be the worst sufferers due to the impact of such agreements… The interest of people in West Bengal is paramount, which should not be compromised at any cost,” she told the PM.

What is PM Hasina’s stand?

So far, the Bangladeshi PM has refrained from commenting on Mamata’s objections, considering it an internal matter of India. According to the Bangladesh media, she said, “We undertook the Teesta project. China has proposed (assistance), and so has India. We will evaluate both proposals and accept the one that is most beneficial and acceptable in terms of the interests of our people.”