“Mutual benefit must be the principle in shaping our bilateral relations,” Hasina said. “I am confident that our agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Ganges will be considered fair by our people.” She used the Hindi name for the Ganges instead of her Bangladeshi name Padma. Two Memoranda of Understanding were signed in 1982 and 1985 respectively. Both focused on short-term regulation of water flow only during the dry season. Ministerial meetings continued in 1992, but the interests of the two sides could not be reconciled. Bangladesh again sought to internationalize the dispute by raising the issue at the Commonwealth Summit in 1993 and again at the United Nations General Assembly in 1995 (Rahaman, 2009). A formal treaty was adopted in 1996, but it was not a comprehensive approach. However, a comprehensive bilateral treaty was signed by Indian Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, on 12 December 1996 in New Delhi, the Indian capital. The treaty established a 30-year water-sharing agreement and recognized Bangladesh`s rights as a subordinate neighbor. [1] [2] [3] In 1977, the Ganges Water Agreement was negotiated, which regulated the distribution of water for five years. It was not until 1996 that an official contract was signed. The treaty is known as the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty and regulates the distribution of water from the Farakka Dam over a period of thirty years (Thomas, 2012).
However, the basis for this agreement was placed on the average water flow at the Faracca site between 1949 and 1988 (Wolf & Newton, 2014). Since the agreement, the effects of climate change on rainfall, combined with increased water use for agriculture and hydropower in Nepal`s Upper Ganges, have altered water levels, resulting in water distribution in accordance with the requirements of the 1996 Treaty. The formation of an Awami League government in 1996 under Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Sheikh Mujib`s daughter, led to a further thaw in relations and the resumption of negotiations. The two leaders met in the Indian capital on December 12, 1996 and signed a 30-year comprehensive treaty. [1] [2] [3] The minimum water guarantee for Bangladesh guaranteed in 1977 was abolished in the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1982. He acknowledged that the fundamental problem of insufficient water flow in the Ganges, available in Faracca, imposed concessions on both countries. She agreed that the long-term solution was to raise the river at Faracca. It was decided that the JRC would complete the economic and technical pre-feasibility study of the systems of both sides, after which the two governments would implement the enlargement proposals. As a result, a temporary measure of the water-sharing schedule was agreed (India-Bangladesh Water Sharing Agreement 1982).
The 1982 Memorandum of Understanding lasted until 1984 and another Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 1985. In December 1971, Bangladesh became an independent country. In April 1975, India formally asked Bangladesh to approve a trial of the Faracca Dam – to see if it was properly built. In August 1975, Bangabandhu (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh) was assassinated. In 1976, India pushed for the complete removal of the waters of the Ganges, which led to serious problems in parts of Bangladesh, including the southwestern region where the Sundarbans, the world`s largest mangrove forest in the Bay of Bengal, are located. Farakka Dam is a dam on the Bhagirathi River in the Indian state of West Bengal, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the border with Bangladesh. India uses it to control the flow of the Ganges. The dam was built to divert water from the Ganges into the Hooghly River during the dry season from January to June in order to flush out the accumulated silt that was a problem in Calcutta Harbour on the Hooghly River in the 1950s and 1960s.
[4] Bangladesh claimed that its rivers were drying up due to India`s excessive water abstraction. [5] In May 1974, a joint declaration was issued to resolve the problem of water division prior to the commissioning of the Faracca Dam. [3] An interim agreement followed in 1975 that allowed India to operate the dam supply channels for a short time. [1] [2] In the atmosphere of enthusiasm and cordiality that characterized Bangladesh`s relations with India in 1971, it was expected that the dispute over water sharing in the mutual interest of the two neighbors would be resolved. A breakthrough was made in the early years, but it was short-lived and relations became increasingly strained in the coming years. The formation of a government in Bangladesh by the Awami League has raised new hopes for a solution to the Faracca issue. Instead of Pakistan, India now faces a friendly but weak Bangladesh at the negotiating table. Both governments considered that the Dispute over the Ganges water could be approached from the point of view of the enormous potential for the overall development of the region`s water resources for the benefit of the peoples of India and Bangladesh (Hossain 1981:1113).Preliminary planning for the Farakka Dam in India had already begun in 1950-51, when Bangladesh was still part of Pakistan. At the time, Pakistan expressed concern about the possible impact of the Faracca dam on eastern Pakistan. In the initial phase, India did not take Pakistan`s objections seriously, pointing out that the project had only been mainly studied, describing Pakistan`s concern about the likely impact as purely hypothetical (Abbas 1982). At the same time, India continued to plan its projects. Pakistan has asked India to consult with it before implementing a regulation that would have a negative impact on East Pakistan. In 1953, India proposed that the two countries cooperate in the development of the ganges` water resources. The following year, Pakistan launched a Ganga-Kobadak (GK) project project in East Pakistan, including a proposal to irrigate two million hectares of land requiring up to 2,000 cubic meters of water, and a joint study of the upper Ganges and Brahmaputra, but India rejected the project. However, the two governments agreed to exchange available data on projects of mutual interest and hold expert meetings on both sides. As a result, there were five expert meetings in 1960/62 and 1968/69, as there was an interlude due to the Indo-Pakistani war in 1965. Pakistan suggested that they should use the technical and advisory services of the United Nations, but India refused. At the secretary-level talks in 1969, Pakistan raised its voice in favour of a package guaranteeing East Pakistan a fixed amount of water and prescribed a mechanism for the implementation and monitoring of the agreement (Hossain 1981: 1120). Historically, because India had not yet agreed to sign a treaty; all previous transactions were short-term.
We do not have a shortage of water during the rainy season – June to October, but during the dry season, especially between January and May, the river decreases significantly. For example, the Ganges Water Treaty, signed by the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and India, guaranteed a fair agreement between Bangladesh and India. After lengthy negotiations, India and Bangladesh formally concluded an agreement on November 5, 1977, developing a formula to divide the flow of water during the dry season. .
