By Ranajoy Sen
Raking up accusations against Indian policies regarding water resources has become an inveterate foreign policy practice of Bangladesh. The current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, helms a relatively new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration in his country; he opined that in relations between India and Bangladesh, a renewal or satisfactory conclusion of the Ganges water-sharing arrangement would be the overriding determinant.
The treaty in question is “The Indo-Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty.” It was signed thirty years ago and is scheduled for reconsideration this year. Bangladeshi authorities have started harping that the treaty should be extended forthwith or taken to its logical conclusion, thereby making it permanent. It appears as if the Government of India has indicated that it would arbitrarily formulate a new, asymmetric water treaty to the detriment of Bangladesh.
To emphasize the issue, a senior minister in the BNP government, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, has stated that the treaty must be indefinite and remain effective until it is replaced by an acceptable future agreement.
India has built dams on the Ganges and the Teesta rivers, both of which flow eastward into Bangladesh. As the upper riparian country, India has responsibly ensured that these dams do not fully thwart the river waters flowing downward beyond its eastern border. India has meticulously released adequate amounts of water into Bangladesh within the contours of a well-placed, symbiotic mechanism for sharing fresh river water.
Bangladesh was liberated from the jackboot of Pakistani rule as an independent republic in 1971 through immense Indian guidance and assistance. An emphasis on amicability toward Bangladesh has been a consistent aspect of Indian foreign policy. But ever since 1975, Bangladesh has engendered repeated pinpricks in its relations with India; discords around water sharing are highly perceptible.
Bangladesh’s rulers have culpably taken repeated anti-India positions to try to entrench their rule. Fears of domination by India, unfair trade imbalances, improper river water sharing and an unhelpful attitude from India are essentially baseless accusations, often raised by Dhaka’s rulers to make the proverbial waters of Indo-Bangladesh relations murky.
However, nurturing anti-India activities, illegal infiltration and instances of Islamic fundamentalism are genuine Indian concerns toward Bangladesh; administering meaningful correctives to them is a pressing Bangladeshi imperative.
Despite declaring itself to be a secular nation, Bangladesh has often walked in the reverse direction. It needs to rectify itself structurally to constrict its inherent shortcomings, which would obviate the necessity to accuse India without credible reasons.
There are about 54 rivers that flow from India into Bangladesh, yet only two of those have dams built upon them. The Farakka Barrage atop the Ganges and the Gajoldoba Barrage on the Teesta were built by India primarily to effectively divert some water for requisite uses in agriculture and planned urban requirements in the Indian state of West Bengal. The requisite water earmarked for Bangladesh is hardly ever denied.
Moreover, a massive credit line of about $5 billion with favorable interest rates provided by India to Bangladesh to build and maintain greater economic infrastructure over several years bespeaks unquestioned Indian bona fides.
Bangladesh has occasionally responded positively to Indian assistance and has sometimes taken effective measures to curb anti-India activities. But it must jettison a near-instinctive proclivity to unnecessarily rant against India.
The new BNP government in Dhaka need not be unduly anxious. The Government of India, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will surely ensure a symbiotic outcome after the timeframe of the Ganges water treaty is completed in prevailing times.
The writer is an expert on international affairs. Views are personal.