Embankment shadow over India-Bangladesh ties

The growing anger and protest in Tripura over the construction and strengthening of embankments by Bangladesh within 150 yards of India-Bangladesh borders is a legitimate concern over adverse consequences of obstructing the natural water flow of a transboundary river. India exerting diplomatic pressure on Bangladesh will be crucial to dissuade the neighbouring country from any unilateral action on transboundary rivers. The construction of an embankment near the Muhuri River that flows from Tripura to Bangladesh has triggered apprehension among people in the South Tripura and Unakoti districts of severe flooding in this year’s monsoon season due to obstruction of natural water flow in the lower reaches across the international border. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha communicating the issue to the central government has highlighted the gravity of the problem and potential impact. Saha, however, has assured the people of countermeasures of constructing and repairing embankments in vulnerable areas to mitigate flooding due to obstruction of the natural flow of the transboundary rivers. The government has reportedly identified breaches in embankments at more than 40 locations along the transboundary rivers in the state which were left damaged after severe flooding during August last year which affected areas on both sides of the international border, impacting several lakhs of people living along the catchments of the shared rivers. Bangladesh falsely accused India of releasing water from the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumati River in Tripura without early warning. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected the allegation and attributed the heavy flooding in the catchment areas of the Gumati River to the occurrence of the heaviest rains during last monsoon and not caused by Dumbur Dam. The MEA pointed out that the Dumbur dam is located quite far from the border – over 120 km upstream of Bangladesh – and is a low-height dam that generates power that feeds into a grid and from which Bangladesh also draws 40 MW of power from Tripura. India also refuted the allegation of not sharing flood data and asserted that data showing rising trend were supplied to Bangladesh and tried to maintain communication through other means created for urgent transmission of data despite power outage leading to problems of communication due to flooding. The MEA reiterated India’s persistent position that floods on the common rivers between India and Bangladesh are a shared problem inflicting suffering on people on both sides and require close mutual cooperation towards resolving them. It also reminded Bangladesh that as two countries sharing 54 common cross-border rivers, river water cooperation is an important part of bilateral engagement, and India remains committed to resolving issues and mutual concerns in water resources and river water management through bilateral consultations and technical discussions. It is a matter of grave concern that despite India harping on bilateral consultations and technical discussions on transboundary river water management, Bangladesh is unilaterally pushing the construction and repairing of embankments, posing risks of aggravating natural disasters to people in Tripura. India and Bangladesh have a bilateral mechanism in the form of the Joint River Commission (JRC) to address the issues of common rivers and also reached multiple agreements for mutually discussing workable solutions on water use and water management, including design adoption, etc. Any unilateral action by Bangladesh to push the embankment work is against the spirit of the bilateral mechanism. Bangladesh is realising the hard reality that being a lower riparian country in respect of the common rivers between the two countries antagonising India will only deprive its people of the benefits of joint management of transboundary rivers, particularly for flood management. Despite strained relations between the two countries following regime change and installation of an interim government in Bangladesh affecting implementation of several transboundary connectivity projects, India remained accommodative, and the two sides discussed technical issues of the Ganga Water Treaty at the 86th meeting of the JRC held in Kolkata last month. The treaty signed in 1996 for a period of 30 years for sharing the water of the River Ganga at Farakka Barrage in West Bengal is due to expire in 2026. Renewal and implementation of the treaty are more important for Bangladesh than India and will require mutual consent, and failure to renew it will trigger a serious problem of availability of Ganga water during the lean season, which will have a cascading impact on agriculture and livelihoods. India holding in abeyance the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan to punish the country for sponsoring cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is also a message to Bangladesh to desist from any arbitrary and unilateral action that may jeopardise India’s strategic interests and bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries. India remaining watchful over the growing influence of China and Pakistan in Bangladesh and engaging with it diplomatically for prompt redressal of contentious issues such as the construction of embankments along the international border, erection of border fencing, and preventing infiltration is strategically vital for the Northeast region.