BLOG
October 12th, 2016
Via Future Directions International, a report on Bangladesh’s interest in having India as a stakeholder in the proposed Ganges Barrage project:
Bangladesh is keen to have India as a stakeholder in the proposed Ganges Barrage project. If it is constructed, the barrage will divert water into a 165 kilometre-long reservoir with a capacity of up to 2.9 billion cubic litres of water. During the monsoon season the barrage will store water from the Padma River, known as the Ganges in India, and release it into smaller Bangladeshi rivers during the dry season. It is hoped that the water from the barrage will maintain river flow throughout the year and reduce salinity levels in the water and soil of the Bangladeshi delta.
Comment
Increased salinity poses a major threat to agriculture and public health in south-west Bangladesh. Increasingly saline water and soil is blamed on the operation of the Farakka Barrage in the Indian state of West Bengal. The barrage was constructed in 1975 to divert water from the Ganges to the Hooghly River and slow the sedimentation of Kolkata harbour. After its construction, however, lower water and silt levels in the Padma River led to increased salt water intrusion in the Bangladeshi delta region. Salinity levels have risen in some parts of the delta to a point where it is becoming difficult to cultivate even salt tolerant rice varieties.
The Farakka Barrage has been a source of tension between the two countries since its construction. The Ganga Waters Treaty, signed by Dhaka and New Delhi in 1996, has done little to resolve water sharing issues between the two states. Under the treaty, Bangladesh receives increased water flow from the barrage during the “extremely dry” season, from January to May, but these flows have not reversed the damage caused by salinisation. As India is, at least partly, blamed for the salinisation of the delta region, an investment in the construction of the proposed Ganges Barrage could reduce the animosity caused by water sharing issues.
The Bangladeshi Minister for Water Resources, Nazrul Islam, has left the tender process open and has invited India to contribute to the construction of the barrage. He has suggested that ‘because the Ganges flows into Bangladesh from India, we take a long-term view of the project and our prime minister is keen to get India into it.’ The project was raised during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka in 2015. He reportedly expressed interest in the project, but there has been little follow up since his visit.
To be successful, the project will require Indian co-operation. A guaranteed amount of water will need to be released downstream from the Farakka Barrage each year to be stored in the Bangladeshi reservoir. Without this guaranteed minimum flow, there may still be times when the flow of the Padma River is not sufficient to reduce salt water intrusion.
The construction of the Ganges Barrage could also further reduce the level of silt carried by the Padma River. The Ganges-Padma carries a significant amount of nutrient-rich silt that would usually flow toward the Bangladeshi delta. Since the construction of the Farakka Barrage, however, the amount of silt flowing downriver has declined. Another barrier in the natural course of the river could further reduce the silt load, potentially threatening agricultural production in the delta as soils, which have been eroded by river and coastal forces, are not replenished.
Even if India chooses not to invest in the construction of the Ganges Barrage, Dhaka is unlikely to face difficulties in financing the undertaking. Since it was first proposed in 2009, two Chinese firms have offered to completely fund the US$4 billion ($5.3 billion) project and Japan has tendered at least US$2 billion ($2.6 billion). The project offers India an opportunity to resolve a contentious issue that has persistently affected its bilateral relationship with Bangladesh. India’s decision may become clearer following the bilateral meeting between Mr Modi and the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the upcoming BRICS Summit.