Farakka Barrage on the Ganges is situated between Ra jmahal and Bhogobangola in Murshidabad district ui the in dian State ui W est Bengal Die barrage 18 18 KM upstream from Bangladesh border
At the verbal request of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Mu jibur Ratiman agreed to lest running of the Farakka Bar rage
The barrage became opera Uonal on April 21 1975
A short term MOU was signed between Bangladesh and India on April 18. 1975
Farakka Long Marc h took place on May 16 1976 under the leadership of Moulana Bhashani to protest India s uni lateral decision ol withdrawing water al Farakka point
Bangladesh raised the
Farakka issue with the United Nations on November 26 1976 A consensus statement was adopted by the UN General As sembly and Bangladesh and India subsequently agreed to negotiate through the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC).
On November 5. 1977. an agreement on sharing the Ganges water was signed in Dhaka. The then Adviser for Water Resources Rear Admiral Musharraf Hussain Khan and Indian Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation Surjit Singh Barnala signed the agreement for a period of five years start Ing from 1978.
Under the agreement signed in 1977. Bangladesh was given 34.500 cusec of water during the January May lean season with a guarantee clause of 80 per cent during the leanest perlon of last 10 days of April.
The normal flow of water at Hardinge Bridge during the lean period was 74.000 cusec before the commissioning of the Bar rage Is 1975.
On October 7. 1982 a MOU was signed for sharing of water, which was valid during the pe riod. 1983 84 This was signed by ARS Doha. Foreign Minister of Bangladesh and PV Naraslmha Rao. Minister for External Affairs. India
On November 22. 1985. the MOU of 1982 was renewed for three years. This was signed by B Shankar Banondo, Water Resources Minister of India and ■ Anisul Islam Mahmud. Minis-
ter for Irrigation and Water Development. Bangladesh.
The tenure ofthe 1985 MOU expired on May 31. 1988. Since then, there exists no under standing on water sharing between the two countries.
The five-year agreement signed in 1977 ensured a mini mum dry season flow for Bangladesh but the two MOUs signed later did not incorporate any guarantee clause providing a minimum dry season flow
In 1990 the secretaries of the ministries of water and Irrigation of the two countries formed a secretarial committee. The committee held seven meetings during the next five years alter nately in Dhaka and New Delhi but failed to reach an understanding.
Indian Minister of state for External Affairs Salman Khur shid in an interview with the Bangladesh Observer earlier admitted that Farakka and transit issues were pinpricks and irritants between the two countries.
The issue of water-sharing received the highest priority ever since Sheikh Hasina s Awami League came to power following the June 12 genera) election*.
The ball was set rolling following the three-day visit of In dian External Affairs Secretary
Salman Halder to Bangladesh in the first week of July.
It was followed by a four-day visit of Indian Externa) Affairs Minister I K Gujral from September 7 which raised expectations for a satisfactory water treaty’ between the two countries before the onset of the coming dry season, beginning January.
Gujral’s visit was followed by foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad’s visit to India in September.
Water Resources Minister Abdur Razzak also paid a three-day visit to the Indian capital from October 28 and later met Jyotl Basu in Calcutta.
A Joint Committee of ex perts was set up by the two gpv-ernment* following Gujral’s visit. The Joint committee held at least 10 rounds of talks In Delhi till December 8.
Possibility of a water accord appeared on the horizon when Jyotl Basu. Chief Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal Bild a five-day official visit to angladesh from November 27.
Before leaving Dhaka after having two rounds of exclusive talks with Sheikh Hasina. Basu announced that a draft water accord was ready and that it would be signed during a sum mit between the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and India.