Political history of Farakka Barrage and its effects on environment in Bangladesh

Abstract

Soon after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, India took initiative to construct a barrage on its side of the Ganges and commissioned it in 1975. In the past few decades, many of the 54 Bangladeshi Rivers that originate in India have either been diverted or dammed upstream, inside India. All of these hydro-developmental initiatives have left a profound impact on Bangladesh as it is at the receiving end of the Himalayan fluvial regime. In particular, Bangladesh’s agriculture, fisheries, and human health and wellbeing are reported to have been significantly affected by the disruption of natural water flow in its rivers. The debate over the water sharing issues between India and Bangladesh dates back as early as their birth but the historical developments of the disputes have never been adequately addressed in settling the issues. This paper analyzes the political developments in Bangladesh and India over Farakka issue from historical perspectives. It also reveals the adverse effects of Farakka Barrage on environment in Bangladesh. The aim is to provide policy makers with the insights into historical developments of disputes centred on Farakka Barrage to contribute towards better water governance.

A critical review of the Ganges Water Sharing arrangement

“…Most of the earlier works on Farakka Barrage disputes and the 1996 Treaty implications have typically been conducted to present the historical and political perspectives, and to critically examine the legal aspects of the mechanisms of implementing the Treaty (Crow et al, 1995;Hossain, 1998;Salman & Uprety, 1999;Nishat & Faisal, 2000;Rahaman, 2009;Pandey, 2014;Kawser & Samad, 2016). But these studies did not cover any quantitative analyses of the dry season flows to assess the tangible outcome of the Treaty.…”

“…Comparison of the average dry season (Jan-May) flows of the Ganges at Farakka during pre-Farakka,post- Farakka (1975-1996), post-Treaty (1997-2016 periods and the actual yearly flows during post-Treaty (1997-2016) period. Shaded bars show the indicative flows of the Treaty.…”

Changes in Hydrology of the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh and Corresponding Impacts on Water Resources

“…Because of this impact, recurrence of flooding during the wet season and reduced navigability in the dry season was observed (OGDA ). Other impacts include subsidence, and increase in soil and water salinity (Agrawala et al ; NPA ; Dasgupta et al ; Akter et al ; Kawser and Abdus Samad ). In fact, saline water (hence salinity) intrusion toward inland is a major consequence of low upstream freshwater flow in this coastal area.…”

Water and ecological resource governance: the GBB context

“…However this recognition is not an easy task as every country has their own agenda that is developed with history, culture, and politics. Kawser and Samad (2016) in their article Political History of Farakka Barrage and Its Effects on Environment in Bangladesh describe this cultural politics. They argue that the GBB manaement between India and Bangladesh depends on political economy that represents historical legacies of colonialism, independence, language, and religion which create some commonalities and differences.…”