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A
Publication on
International Conference on "TRANSBOUNDARY WATER
ISSUES: SOUTH ASIAN COOPERATION"
organized by IFC on
9-10 August 2006
DHAKA,
BANGLADESH
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INTERNATIONAL
FARAKKA COMMITTEE INC., NY
Co-Editors : Professor Dr. J. U. Ahmad
M. K. Majumder
Published
by: International Farakka Committee Inc., NY
198-40 Epsom Course, Holliswood, NY. 11423
Tel : 1-(718)-217-6645 E-mail: stsultan1952@yahoo.com
Website: www.farakkacommittee.com
Contact Persons for Books Availability:
Atiqur R. K. Eusufzai, Chairman, IFC, Tel & Fax : 1-(973)
779-2207
Sayed Tipu Sultan, Secretary General, IFC, Fax : 1-(718) 322-1280,
E-mail: stsultan1952@yahoo.com
Bangladesh Contact: E-mail: nb_ahmed@hotmail.com
or rabd@bangla.net
International Farakka Committee (IFC) alongwith IFC Bangladesh
Co-ordination Committee and the North American Long March Committee
jointly organized a Long March (3-4 March, 2005) and a grand rally
on 4 March, 2005 at Chilmari Bandar (River-port), Kurigram District,
on the bank of the river Brahmaputra. About 500 thousand of people
voiced the slogans ‘Save our Rivers, Save Bangladesh’
from different walks of life, irrespective of political belief
from all over the country joined the Grand Rally. A good number
of expatriate water-righteous activists from all over the world,
particularly from North America attended the Programme.
In the following year, International Farakka Committee organised
a two-day international conference on ‘Upstream water Diversion:
A disaster for Bangladesh’ at the Institution of Engineers
Bangladesh on 4-5 January 2006. Eminent scientists, policy planners,
intellectuals and journalists participated in the conference and
had deliberations and interactions of ideas. Leading figures from
different political parties attended the conference and expressed
their views on this agenda of utmost national and international
importance.
On 16 May 2006, in observance of the 30th Anniversary of Farakka
Long March Day and in protest against the upstream water derision
by India, International Farakka Committee Inc. NY and International
Farakka Committee Bangladesh (IFCB). organized a grand rally and
public meeting at the Jamuna Charland at the village Gobindashi,
Bhuapur Upazila, Tangail District, where a huge mass gathered
from all over the country. The rally adopted a 21-point declaration
for changing the fate of the people of Bangladesh by getting the
due share of river water from India.
As an ongoing activity, IFC is organizing an international conference
on ‘Trans-boundary water issues: South Asian cooperation’,
on 9-10 August 2006 at the Local Government Engineering Department,
Agargaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh. There are three media partners involved
with IFC, they are, The New Nation, the Amar Desh (print media)
and the Bangla Vision (electronic media). Experts from India,
Nepal, China, Japan and Bangladesh will participate as resource
person in this conference. Prominent leaders of political parties
and leaders of opinion have also expressed their willingness to
join the conference to contribute ideas to such an important issue.
The eco-disaster and untold miseries already inflicted on Bangladesh
by upstream water diversion through Farakka Barrage will be multiplied
thousand times, if the on-going Inter Basin River Link project
of India is not abandoned, immediately.
A sense of justice and eco-consciousness is emerging in the region,
which might create influence on the Government of India to shelve
or modifying the project. We hope and believe that a Regional
River Commission comprising all countries of the Himalayas river
basins under the supervision of the United Nations will be able
to usher a new era of cooperation and prosperity in the region.
We also hope that the conference and the valuable information
emerging from it, would be able to encourage all for participating
in the movement against excessive upstream water diversion from
common rivers. The on-going Inter Basin River Link project of
India will soon be abandoned, because on which the very existence
of Bangladesh depends, and would usher a new era of cooperation
between Bangladesh and India. We would like to thank the authors
and contributors for their valuable contributions. We sincerely
believe that we would be able to overcome this impending danger
by forming a great unity for a common cause or saving the rivers.
Prof. Dr. J. U. Ahmad
Mustafa Kamal Majumder
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:
- That planning of water resources use should be for the entire
basin, and not based on a single project with limited objectives;
- That it should envisage development of all aspects of water
of an entire basin;
- That all relevant agencies of the government and all water
users must be involved in the planning process;
- 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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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