Opportunities of Hydro Diplomacy

Strengthening bilateral relations between neighbouring countries is critical to making lives better for people living on both sides of the border. India and Bangladesh finalizing the location of the intake well for drawing water from the Feni River for a drinking water project in Tripura's Sabroom town have brightened hopes for ending the water woes of people living in the Indian border town. The Joint Technical Team of the two countries decided on the new location of the intake well after they visited the site on Tuesday. Sharing of Feni water is facilitated by the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two neighbouring countries in October 2019 on the withdrawal of 1.82 cusec water from the transboundary river by India for the drinking water supply scheme for Sabroom town. The MoU was signed in the presence of Prime Ministers of both the countries- Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina. The transboundary river originating in Tripura which forms part of the India-Bangladesh border passes through Sabroom town and flows through Bangladesh to meet the Bay of Bengal. The MoU on the Feni River follows the Joint River Commission mechanism that was established in 1972. Of the total length of 140 km of the river, 94 km stretch flows along the border between the two countries. India and Bangladesh share 54 common rivers and the objective of the JRC is to expand cooperation in sharing river waters for irrigation, drinking water projects, mitigation of pollution, river bank protection, flood management and basin management. Sabroom town is connected to Chittagong port with the Maitree Setu, a small double-lane bridge over the Feni inaugurated last year. The distance between this Indian border town from Chittagong port in Bangladesh is just 72 km which explains its geo-strategic importance. High iron content in the underground water of Sabroom is unfit for consumption and early commissioning of the drinking water project is critical to providing the town residents respite from water shortage. The construction of the project will start after Bangladesh approves the design of the intake well. Successful implementation of the use of Feni water for Sabroom's requirement will prompt both the countries to take a relook at all transboundary rivers from the angle of harnessing mutual benefits. Apprehensions were raised by some quarters in Bangladesh that drawing Feni water for Sabroom could harm farmlands in border areas. However, the Bangladesh government clarified that only a small volume will be drawn for the Sabroom project and even in the dry season it would not have any adverse impact on water availability. This demonstrates the complexities in dialogue over sharing of a common transboundary river and how deepening bilateral relations help overcome them. Sharing of water flow data among basin countries, therefore, is crucial to remove any doubt and remove the bottlenecks in water diplomacy. India and Bangladesh signed the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty in 1996, nearly 24 years after the establishment of the JRC for sharing of water of the River Ganga at Farakka. The Treaty signed by then Indian Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for 30 years states that "in the event flow at Farakka falls below 50,000 cusecs in any 10 days, the two Governments will enter into immediate consultations to make adjustments on an emergency basis, following the principles of equity, fair play and no harm to either party." However, India and Bangladesh have not been able to sign the deal over sharing of Teesta River water due to opposition by West Bengal. Water being a state subject, the Central government impressing upon the West Bengal government to give consent to the deal is crucial to India and Bangladesh concluding the strategic water-sharing deal. With climate change impact posing tough challenges cooperation among basin countries- upper, middle and lower riparian countries have become an urgent necessity for river basin management and conversation of the river ecosystem. India and Bangladesh signing more agreements on transboundary rivers will showcase a strong commitment of two Asian neighbours towards mitigation of climate change impact through joint management of rivers and coordinated efforts to make lives comfortable for people living in basins of the river. It will also go a long way in India and Bangladesh jointly reclaiming rights of riparian communities on the water of the mighty Brahmaputra and fostering cooperation among all countries of its basin, including China. It is in the backdrop of such international realities that, sharing of Feni water for the Sabroom drinking water project has special significance. India and Bangladesh expanding the scope of water diplomacy for cooperation in respect of more common rivers shared by the two countries will be crucial to renewing the Ganges Water Treaty when its 30-year period comes to an end in 2026, sustaining the Feni water-sharing agreement and removing the bottlenecks over Teesta water-sharing deal.