The Teesta water-sharing agreement cannot be left on the backburner any longer. Should this persist, the bilateral relations may turn sour, with dire consequences for future positive developments

Significance of the Teesta water-sharing agreement

During a meeting between an Indian delegation and Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque in Delhi, the gamut of bilateral relations and Mamata Banerjee’s scepticism towards the Teesta agreement were discussed.

Will the government sign the Teesta Agreement?
The former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed hope for the early conclusion of the Teesta water agreement at the BIMSTEC Summit in March 2014. While the Bangladeshi government  flagged its concern over the sharp decline of the waters at that time, the government of West Bengal expressed grave displeasure in having to share the already reduced flow which would further worsen the  water deficit situation of its northern region.
In an election rally held in north Bengal, the Chief Minister stated that the Teesta had dried up and there was an acute drinking water problem. Yet, the central government was giving away the Teesta waters. She also urged the people to teach the central government a lesson 'through ballots' as the centre was releasing the Teesta waters to Bangladesh and thereby depriving the people of north Bengal of their own natural resource. The state government has constantly been in opposition to the centre's desire to sign a water sharing treaty with Bangladesh.
Will the Indian federal  government be able to improve domestic affairs with West Bengal and thereby improve relations with Bangladesh? The chances are dim because the federal  government will not rush into an agreement with Bangladesh over Teesta without the consent of the state government as it will not want to spoil its home affairs for the sake of transnational ties irrespective of what they may be. The federal government will continue negotiations with the state and provide concessions in order to seek its compliance.
It is unlikely that Mamata Banerjee will budge from her stance, and hope for change is still pinned on the establishment of  a new government in West Bengal.
Indo-Bangladesh relations are at a juncture where India needs to consider and put into action some of its transnational issues with Bangladesh with immediate effect. Ever since the talks were stalled in 2011, there has been no significant call for the materialising of the Teesta river treaty by New Delhi.  Despite this, Indo-Bangladesh relations have been peaceful and cooperative in the anticipation that a positive resolution for the multiple issues between both countries will be reached. However, the Teesta water-sharing agreement cannot be left on the backburner any longer. Should this persist, the bilateral relations may turn sour, with dire consequences for future correspondence. Enlisted below are three factors that make Bangladesh vital to India and why the long impending water accord must be signed.
First, irrespective of the exchange of visits and high panel discussions for bilateral growth and cooperation, India has failed to give Bangladesh its due credit. India’s Northeast is a strategic corridor that makes Bangladesh vital for India. The security of the northeastern states of India is widely affected by Bangladesh's policies and actions. If cooperation between Dhaka and New Delhi hits a rough patch, economic access will become difficult in terms of integrating the states with the Indian mainland. More so, it will be difficult for India to combat insurgent groups that may find refuge in Bangladesh.
Second, the Joint River Commission (JRC) in Dhaka exhibited concerns over receiving only 6.5 per cent of the water in the last dry season which it said was the ‘lowest ever’. This stark decline in the Teesta basin has resulted in large-scale protests staged both in Dhaka and West Bengal. Bangladesh alleges that India is drawing water from the river unilaterally that has resulted in a grave deficit of the water levels and led to the drying up of the northern districts. On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee out rightly accused the central government of 'clandestinely' releasing the river water to Bangladesh without seeking their consent. In the absence of an official agreement, technical issues regarding the quantity, division and share of the waters are bound to take centre-stage.  
Third, the formation of the  BJP government was a strategic vantage point that will predict the future of Indo-Bangladesh ties. Despite insubstantial progress, both the Awami League and the previous UPA governments maintained peaceful cooperative relations in the past. With the BJP government in place, signing of the Teesta water deal must remain the central priority considering the significant reduction of water levels in the basin and the subsequent exacerbated demand for water in the northern regions of both West Bengal and Bangladesh. India’s Look East Policy (LEP) and the Bangladesh China India Myanmar Regional Forum (BCIM), provide immense opportunities and lessons for India to live interdependently with Bangladesh.
        
The writer is Research Officer, IPCS
Email: [email protected]

 

The Teesta water-sharing agreement cannot be left on the backburner any longer. Should this persist, the bilateral relations may turn sour, with dire consequences for future positive developments

Significance of the Teesta water-sharing agreement

During a meeting between an Indian delegation and Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque in Delhi, the gamut of bilateral relations and Mamata Banerjees scepticism towards the Teesta agreement were discussed. Will the government sign the Teesta Agreement? The former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed hope for the early conclusion of the Teesta water agreement at the BIMSTEC Summit in March 2014. While the Bangladeshi government flagged its concern over the sharp decline of the waters at that time, the government of West Bengal expressed grave displeasure in having to share the already reduced flow which would further worsen the water deficit situation of its northern region. In an election rally held in north Bengal, the Chief Minister stated that the Teesta had dried up and there was an acute drinking water problem. Yet, the central government was giving away the Teesta waters. She also urged the people to teach the central government a lesson through ballots as the centre was releasing the Teesta waters to Bangladesh and thereby depriving the people of north Bengal of their own natural resource. The state government has constantly been in opposition to the centres desire to sign a water sharing treaty with Bangladesh. Will the Indian federal government be able to improve domestic affairs with West Bengal and thereby improve relations with Bangladesh? The chances are dim because the federal government will not rush into an agreement with Bangladesh over Teesta without the consent of the state government as it will not want to spoil its home affairs for the sake of transnational ties irrespective of what they may be. The federal government will continue negotiations with the state and provide concessions in order to seek its compliance. It is unlikely that Mamata Banerjee will budge from her stance, and hope for change is still pinned on the establishment of a new government in West Bengal. Indo-Bangladesh relations are at a juncture where India needs to consider and put into action some of its transnational issues with Bangladesh with immediate effect. Ever since the talks were stalled in 2011, there has been no significant call for the materialising of the Teesta river treaty by New Delhi. Despite this, Indo-Bangladesh relations have been peaceful and cooperative in the anticipation that a positive resolution for the multiple issues between both countries will be reached. However, the Teesta water-sharing agreement cannot be left on the backburner any longer. Should this persist, the bilateral relations may turn sour, with dire consequences for future correspondence. Enlisted below are three factors that make Bangladesh vital to India and why the long impending water accord must be signed. First, irrespective of the exchange of visits and high panel discussions for bilateral growth and cooperation, India has failed to give Bangladesh its due credit. Indias Northeast is a strategic corridor that makes Bangladesh vital for India. The security of the northeastern states of India is widely affected by Bangladeshs policies and actions. If cooperation between Dhaka and New Delhi hits a rough patch, economic access will become difficult in terms of integrating the states with the Indian mainland. More so, it will be difficult for India to combat insurgent groups that may find refuge in Bangladesh. Second, the Joint River Commission (JRC) in Dhaka exhibited concerns over receiving only 6.5 per cent of the water in the last dry season which it said was the lowest ever. This stark decline in the Teesta basin has resulted in large-scale protests staged both in Dhaka and West Bengal. Bangladesh alleges that India is drawing water from the river unilaterally that has resulted in a grave deficit of the water levels and led to the drying up of the northern districts. On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee out rightly accused the central government of clandestinely releasing the river water to Bangladesh without seeking their consent. In the absence of an official agreement, technical issues regarding the quantity, division and share of the waters are bound to take centre-stage. Third, the formation of the BJP government was a strategic vantage point that will predict the future of Indo-Bangladesh ties. Despite insubstantial progress, both the Awami League and the previous UPA governments maintained peaceful cooperative relations in the past. With the BJP government in place, signing of the Teesta water deal must remain the central priority considering the significant reduction of water levels in the basin and the subsequent exacerbated demand for water in the northern regions of both West Bengal and Bangladesh. Indias Look East Policy (LEP) and the Bangladesh China India Myanmar Regional Forum (BCIM), provide immense opportunities and lessons for India to live interdependently with Bangladesh. The writer is Research Officer, IPCS Email: [email protected]