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Teesta Water

Consensus on equal share

Shiv Shankar Menon pays surprise visit, meets water resources minister, PM's advisers

Pinaki Roy
Dhaka and Delhi yesterday by consensus agreed to have equal share of Teesta water during the dry season for an interim 15 years, until a final agreement is signed.
The two nations will sign the interim treaty during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan's visit to Bangladesh on September 6-7.
The major development came following a meeting between Bangladesh's Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen and Indian National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon yesterday afternoon in Dhaka.
Menon came yesterday on a short visit and to talk on Teesta water sharing at the Prime Minister' s Office.
"We are hopefully getting 50 percent of the Teesta water. India has agreed on it. The deal will be signed on September 6," said Sheikh Wahiduzzaman, secretary at the Ministry of Water Resources, who was also present at the meeting.
However, he could not confirm exactly how much water available at Gazoldoba barrage point will be considered 50 percent of Teesta water during the dry season—from Octoberto April.
“Under the interim treaty, we would measure the availability of water upon a joint survey,” said the secretary, adding that this treaty will work out well as both the countries have agreed about basin-wise management of the Teesta water.
An expert from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) said initially the water flow of the Teesta was over 5,000 CuSec during the lean period. But following construction of the Gazoldoba barrage and their hydropower project the flow came down to as low as 500 CuSec.
Starting from Schoma lake in Sikkim, the Teesta river flows a stretch over 600 kilometre with a catchment area of 10,000 square kilometre in India and around 2,000 square kilometre in Bangladesh. From the Dalia point of Rangpur the river travels 124 kilometres up to the Bay of Bengal.
The decision on the water treaty came just a day after Pashcim Banga lawmaker Abu Hasan Khan Chowdhury, quoting Shiv Shankar Menon, said that Bangladesh would get only 25 percent of the Teesta water.
Bangladesh previously considered three proposals on sharing of Teesta water — 20 or 10 percent water to be kept for the maintenance of the river and the rest to be either equally shared or India getting 42 percent while Bangladesh 38 percent of the remaining water.
But in the face of Dhaka's disagreement India then pushed for 52 percent share for itself and 48 for Bangladesh. Bangladesh however kept pursuing for equal share.
Since the inception of the JRC between Bangladesh and India in the 1970s, the two countries have been discussing about sharing waters of eight bordering riversthe Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharala and Dudhkumarincluding the Teesta and Feni, without reaching an agreement. So far they have a treaty of sharing the water of the Ganges out of 54 trans-boundary rivers flowing through them.
The deal on Teesta and Feni water sharing was agreed upon by the two sides during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in January 2010.
Beside the Teesta deal, the two countries have also been agreed about Indian withdrawal of 60 Cusec metre of water from the river Feni, a bordering river near Ramgarh, Khagrachhari and Feni for a drinking water plant.
"This would be a separate deal. At the moment we are not withdrawing any water from the Feni River. But we also can withdraw 60 cu sec if we want, "he said.
VISIT OF SHIB SHANKAR Indian National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon came to Dhaka on August 28 and had meetings with PM's International Affairs Adviser
Gowher Rizvi and Economic Affairs Adviser Mashiur Rahman.
"It was an unscheduled visit by the Indian security adviser. He came to Dhaka to clear up a misunderstanding on sharing of Teesta waters," said a source seeking anonymity.
Menon assured Bangladeshi leaders that there is nothing to be worried about the water sharing formula and an agreement on sharing the waters of the Teesta will be signed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka on September 6-7, added the source.
According to another source, Menon got green signal from Dhaka about signing of protocols on usage of Chittagong and Mongla seaports, which would apparently provide transit facility to India.
The Indian adviser had a meeting with chiefs of intelligence and law enforcement agencies at the PMO. Indian officials including members of Special Protection Group (SPG) were also present at the meeting.
The two advisers of the PM could not be contacted till filing this report at 12:30am today.