The Joint River Commission (JRC) between Bangladesh and India needs to start working again for resolving the problems facing Bangladesh. As a lower riparian country, Bangladesh shares 54 common rivers with India, but as India often unilaterally withdraws water in the lean season, Bangladesh faces drought in the respective areas with very little or no water to irrigate the farmland.

Of these 54 rivers, there is only one river, the Ganges, on which a water sharing treaty was signed between India and Bangladesh. But India does not share water of the river following the treaty, particularly in the dry season. On Teesta, India is yet to sign a treaty with Bangladesh. Lack of coordination between the India’s central government and its state West Bengal government is cited as to why a treaty could not be signed. Signing of the treaty remains pending on this point year after year, as a result of which agriculture of much of the northern region is massively suffering.

There are also other crucial rivers such as Dharala, Dudhkumar, Monu, Khowai, Gomti and Muhuri. The problem with sharing of these rivers still remains unresolved. As a matter of fact, India is taking benefits from waters of common rivers alone; but when in the monsoon the rivers are in spate; Bangladesh takes the huge problem of floods as India let the rivers flow naturally.

There is the JRC to solve the water sharing problems, but it is unfortunate that no ministerial-level meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) has been held over the past eight years. The 37th JRC ministerial-level meeting took place in New Delhi in March 2010 while the 38th meeting was scheduled to be held in Dhaka in 2011.

There is hardly any indication that such a meeting will be held anytime soon as both Bangladesh and India will be busy for national polls in the upcoming months. Bangladesh had dispute with India—and Myanmar also—on its maritime border. Bangladesh solved its dispute by going for international arbitration.

Now as Bangladesh has a JRC with India, it must try first solving the problem through this body, but if this body fails, it must seek the available alternative, by going to relevant international court. For long 8 years, the JRC remains virtually inactive. Time is now for giving a push so that the JRC actively engages itself in solving the contentious water sharing problems between the two countries. As Bangladesh is the sufferer, it must take the burden for making it active.