People's enormous support is building in Bangladesh for the implementation of the Teesta Mega Project against the backdrop of India's long-standing nonchalant shrug towards sharing of the transboundary river's water based on fair distribution arrangement.
This is evident as a mammoth Teesta River Protection Movement was launched on Monday in Lalmonirhat for getting the right share of Teesta water and implementation of the Teesta Mega Project. The movement drew significant attention with the participation of thousands of enthusiastic people at 11 locations in five districts -- Rangpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram.
However, the current interim government has also been keen to execute the Teesta Mega Project. Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan who is charged with the ministries of environment and water resources, recently disclosed that work on the implementation of this project will commence soon. Accordingly, a tender is supposed to be invited for erosion prevention in the most vulnerable areas of the 46-kilometre stretch of the Teesta River, particularly in the 20-kilometre section that suffers the most erosion.
Earlier, the previous government wanted to start Teesta project in cooperation with China. In 2020, Dhaka sought a $983.27 million loan from the Chinese government to implement the project that included dredging, creating reservoirs and building townships along the river banks.
But later on, Bangladesh changed its stance over the project seemingly in the wake of India's opposition and said that the project will be undertaken with the assistance from India and it has got assurances from the neighbouring country in this regard.
Since then, the Teesta Mega Project was jinxed and put in the back burner.
As a result, during every rainy season, people of the Teesta banks experience flush flooding due to mainly India's release of water from its dams, causing widespread damage to lives, livestock, crops and infrastructure. On the other hand, during dry season, India keeps all the water, deserting Bangladesh side.
This huge loss could have been avoided over the past years had the Teesta Mega Project been implemented. Even though it was possible as China showed avid interest in the project, it has been stalled for years due to a lack of initiative from the then India-friendly government.
As per a report from the Washington-based International Food Research Institute, Bangladesh's northern region produces approximately 1.5 million tons less Boro rice annually due to the Teesta River's water scarcity, representing about 9% of the country's total rice production.
Teesta water sharing has been unresolved for many years. Bangladesh once closed in on the Teesta water sharing deal in 2011 during the visit by the then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka. But it did not happen in the last moment following a disagreement from the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Now people of Bangladesh earnestly want the Teesta Mega Project to be implemented without any further delay.
