| I was encouraged to write after reading Mr. Enamul Haque's analogy on India's water supply issue. I am not a water expert, but out of common sense I can understand what is at stake in terms of water resources for us – deltaic plane called Bangladesh. Ganges and Brahmaputra, that brought the civilization in this marshy land, today find it difficult to fetch is potable and irrigation water. The reasons behind India's water policies and science that evolving today, already created commotion in India itself and its politics adversely affecting Bangladesh. Wonderful enough this politics has successfully brought many people into the fore (indias foreign policy) from Bangladesh. People living in or from, Godagari or Rajshahi and Gaibanda or Chilmari seeing the impact still find it difficult to fathom(?) the origin of the destruction. This is the greatest challenge Bangladesh is facing today. A greater section of our people, often influential, keeps mum or openly advocate and supports India's river linking projects or its water politics. Since our drinking water comes from underground resources and which is fast depleting, already aggravated situation will further worsen in terms of water scarcity, thereby its servicing costs – economic impact on national budget. Had the Padma had more water, we wouldn't have arsenic problem of this maginitude, also, ensuing salinity problem in the south due to the drying up of tributaries of Padma. There are many vehement patriots (?) who are uncomfortable to talk about Farakkah, the main reason for many of the today's problem, where millions of livelihood at peril. Without the traditional navigability we can manage today, but can we sustain our food production without proper irrigation? Even our eco system! While the river become monsters during monsoon turns to 'majhkhane shudhu tar hatu jol thakey'. We need to adapt a science that would retain the water for lean period from the monsoon. Policy, and resources should evolve around this. To obtain a reasonable flow of water from its sources during the lean period, should be a natural demand and part of our policy. While all the successive governments failed to provide adequate resources for water resource development, same extend failed to adapt a policy, develop capacity to negotiate with India successfully. Current government created much hope among the commoners that, with their total devotion towards India's all out interests and benefits from Bangladesh, would bring in some recourse to common aspiration from our aggressive neighbor. But only the son of the soil realize eventually what we can get! Thanks.
--- On Tue, 8/5/12, Enamul Hoque <ehoque@hoqueandassociates.com> wrote:
From: Enamul Hoque <ehoque@hoqueandassociates.com>
Subject: RE: [Diagnose] Teesta deal has to wait
To: Diagnose@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, 8 May, 2012, 1:16 AM
Other than the Karnafully, Kushiara, Surma, Monu, Kwai, Dakatia, Feni, and Gomti, can anyone tell me which rivers do not originate from the Himalaya that will have enough water to be diverted to central and western India for irrigation? The rivers of the Deccan Plateau do not come to Bangladesh. Few tributaries of the Ganges such as Chambal comes from Madhaya Prodesh and they will also adversely impact Bangladesh if any of its natural flow is diminished. Teesta is a Himalayan river as it originates from Kanchanjongha. It is very refreshing and fulfilling to see our negotiators and leaders are elated to hear the same repeated mantra from an Indian Minister that India will not include river linking project that involve rivers from the Himalaya without talking to us or without our consensus. Can we look at the hydrology and rainfall map and determine where in the world water will be coming from to irrigate these distant dry and arid land.
India's main purpose of river linking project is to carry water from Teesta, Brahmaputra, and Ganges including Kosi, Gandak, Yamuna, Lohit, Siang, Tsangpu etc all come out of the Himalaya that flow through Bangladesh and had contributed to the creation of this Delta and are essential for the survival of the land and its living creatures to dry arid west and central India. The other rivers located in south India that originate from the Deccan Plateau include Kaveri, Normada, Krisna, Godavabri, and Tapti, do not originate from the Himalaya and also do not affect Bangladesh. It seems that India is planning to divert water from large rivers which are Himalyana rivers to the arid central and western areas of India for irrigation and water supply to mimic what USA had done in the west to the Gila, Salt, and Colorado rivers. Should India decide to bring water from the other major Himalayan river, the Indus and its tributaries that will affect Pakistan and India will have a heck of a time to do this river linking project. I will wish India Good Luck with that plan. The rivers of the south including Kaveri, Krisna, Godavari, Tapti and Mahanadi pass through the peninsular India that has extremely hummocky topography with dense forests which will require pretty drastic engineering measure to bring water to the central and western India. I do not know India has that resources. Historically and anthropologically, should we look at the story of the Puran and the Rig Veda, we may find that approximately 7,000 top 10,000 years ago when there was chaos in the cosmos, the supreme Godhead Indra descended to this mortal world in a place called Indraprasta near Delhi to bring peace to this world. Indraprasta is located in the Ganges Basin, as it is easier to domesticate everything in a plain land near a river. From here after bringing tranquility, Indra proceeded to south to the inaccessible land of the Deccan. It is only logical that India will not go to south to do this river link while they have large rivers with perennial and sustained flow in the north. In addition to the topography, the rivers of the south have significant flow during summer time while irrigation may not be necessary in India. In winter or spring and early summer, the flow in these rivers are meagerly sustaining its own habitat. India musty build series of dams and reservoir to store excess water for diversion during lean months. The reservoirs will take massive economic resources and years to get permission and then to build.. On the other hand, due to the climate change the glaciers of the Himalaya is getting melted every year and the Himalayan rivers at one point will have quite a good flow. Therefore, looking at the climatic model and basin wide hydrology superimposed on climatic model, it will be easily deciphered that these Himalayan rivers will have sustainable flow in coming years due to climate change and this may last for few decades to few hundred years. Therefore, there is no probable reasons to go the south to bring water to the north. (Please read the Megdoot by Kalidas to get description of the land through which they have to bring water should they decide to bring water from the southern rivers. Also our Bankim Babu had description of the land in one of his novel while Sivaji was being chased by one of the Moghul Emperor. In addition, Adayatta Barman has written a Bengali Nobel titled "Titas Acti Nodir Nam" in which the summer time description of a typical river in that part has been put by the author vividly. The fate of Narmada, Tapti, Godavari, Krisna and Kaveri becomes the same during lean months. Iswar Chandra Biddasagar also wrote about Mohanadi as he was going home to comply with his mothers request. In flood time, it was swimmable and in dry time he would cross this river on foot). There is no way India can get sustainable water supply to run this long distance canals and tunnels to bring water through this inaccessible land to the other parts of India. The loss due to seepage, loss due to evaporation, and loss due to water piracy will put these canals in a nightmaris situation. As Honiorable Pronab Mukherjee mentioned that due to democratic values and system created in India, they have to negotiate and give consideration to each states demand and their requirements. How can they satisfy all the demands of Andra, Tamilnadu, and states and political units of aboriginal people? There are political issue in this as well. Bangladesh has to be very careful and use its witty, knowledgeable, reputable yet patriotic experts in the committee and few farmers and general public to go into negotiation with India and watch them what India has in their plate. I, for one and as s practicing geotechnical engineer and fluvial geomorphologist do not believe that this projects could be economically, ecologically and geologically feasible to bring water from Kaveri and Krisna or other southern rivers to central and western India. Thank you all for listening to me. Enamul Hoque, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE 4325 South 34th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85040 From: Hares [mailto:safeschoolmodel@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 2:39 PM
To: Diagnose@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Diagnose] Teesta deal has to wait The Daily Star, Dhaka, Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Front Page
Teesta deal has to wait
Delhi tells Dhaka; insists no Himalayan rivers to be inter-linked
Pallab Bhattacharya, New DelhiIndia has assured Bangladesh that the Himalayan rivers will not be included in its river inter-linking project without prior consultation with Bangladesh, and said an agreement on sharing of the Teesta waters will have to wait till a consensus with West Bengal state is reached.
Addressing a joint media conference with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni after a two-hour first meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) here yesterday, Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said the Himalayan rivers are not part of the inter-linking project as of now and even if they are included at a later stage, it will not be done without consultation with Bangladesh.
Dipu Moni said, "India has reassured us -- Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Dhaka yesterday (Sunday) and SM Krishna today-- that the Himalayan river system is not part of the inter-linking project. There will be no unilateral decision without consulting Bangladesh on the issue."
Replying to a question from a Bangladeshi journalist as to when the Teesta water-sharing accord will take place, Krishna said, "We are trying to develop a political consensus. It is important to take the view of all those who are dependent on the river water into account."
He went on, "In the meantime, there has been no change in the ground situation as far the Teesta water flow is concerned and this has been found by a joint technical survey at both Gazaldoba, the last point of the river before it flows into Bangladesh, on Indian side and Dalia, the entry point in Bangladesh."
Earlier in his opening remarks at the start of the news conference before the question-answer session, Krishna said, " I have assured Dipu Moni that India remains committed to an early solution on the issue of sharing Teesta waters.
"Since water is a sensitive issue, in accordance with the traditions of consensual decision-making in India's democratic polity, internal consultations are on amongst stakeholders."
On the Tipaimukh multi-purpose project in northeastern Manipur state, Krishna said it has been agreed that a sub-group under the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission would be constituted to look into all aspects, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposal for joint participation in the project.
Dipu Moni said, "We have touched every aspect of bilateral relations including ratification of land boundary agreement by India, and Teesta.
"We have the satisfaction of all the achievements we have made in trade, power, water resources, connectivity and we are very happy about India's recent decision to lift the ban on cotton export which is crucial for Bangladesh."
She said, "We are very happy with the outcome of the meeting and I will return to Dhaka with confidence."
Asked about Bangladesh giving transit facility to India, she said the issue did come up at the JCC meeting, and "it has to be done in a sustainable manner."
Referring to power sector cooperation, Krishna, in his opening remarks, said work on inter-grid connectivity "is progressing and we are hopeful that 500 MW power would flow from India to Bangladesh during the summer of 2013.
"We are also moving ahead with the setting up of 1,320 MW coal- based joint venture power plant (in Ramban, Khulna) which is expected to be commissioned by 2016. We welcome the participation of Bangladesh in power projects in India, particularly in the North-Eastern states of India", he added.
The Indian foreign minister said, "steady progress" has been made in the utilisation of $1 billion Indian credit to Bangladesh.
Pointing out that Pranab Mukherjee announced in Dhaka on Sunday that $200 million of the Indian credit would be converted into grants-in-aid for projects of priority for Bangladesh, Krishna said, "Our focus now is to ensure timely delivery on the contracts that have been signed by the Government of Bangladesh.
"So far, projects worth more than $ 810 million have been agreed upon and five contracts worth $ 83 million have been signed. The first consignment of buses reached Dhaka and deliveries of railway rolling stock will start by the end of the year."
On the trade and investment front, Krishna said India's decision last year to grant zero duty access to all goods from Bangladesh has opened new opportunities for expansion of bilateral trade and "there has been a significant increase of textile exports from Bangladesh to India".
He said he had "a very useful and productive" first meeting of the JCC which is "reflective of the qualitative transformation that India-Bangladesh relations have witnessed in recent years".
They reviewed the progress in bilateral cooperation in different areas, including trade, connectivity, power, water resources, security, border management, infrastructure, people to people contacts, culture, environment, education, among others, Krishna said. "We are happy that our mutual cooperation has resulted in commendable achievements in recent months."
Krishna said following the positive experience in a border haat in Meghalaya, new border haats are expected to be opened along the International Border in Tripura and Mizoram states as well.
The JCC meeting, which was envisaged in the joint communique issued after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in September last year, was attended, among others, by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mirazul Qayes, High Commissioner to India Tariq A Karim and other senior officials from different ministries.
On the Indian side, besides Krishna, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran attended the meeting.
Dipu Moni calls on the Indian prime minister this (Tuesday) evening and it will be preceded by her separate meetings with water resources and home ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and P Chidambaram.
She will address a select media group at 5:30pm today before leaving for Cairo.
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