India-Bangladesh relations: Cross-border diplomacy crucial for water management

In April 2022, in a bid to increase connectivity between the two neighbours, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina offered the use of the Chittagong seaport to India. The move opens up new transit points for the landlocked North East region, particularly for Assam and Tripura – and new opportunities to build the region’s economy. Unlike the nearest Indian port, Chittagong port has easier connectivity and access for states in the region and the opening up of the port for use will open greater trade and export opportunities for the region.

India being the second largest trading partner of Bangladesh, the nation is keen to strengthen its connectivity with India. Both the countries have also signed a Coastal Shipping Agreement in 2015 and a Standard Operating Procedure allowing direct regular shipping between the ports on India’s east coast and Bangladesh’s ports, particularly Chittagong. Reopening the pre-Partition trade routes would reduce the cost and time of transportation for Northeast India and generate revenue for Bangladesh. The deal is a move towards greater diplomatic cooperation between the two countries, improving Indo-Bangladesh bilateral ties. Crucially, it opens up new avenues for greater cooperation on water management in the region: an issue of critical importance and interest to both the nations.  

Negotiating water-sharing in a changing climate

In 1996, India and Bangladesh signed the landmark Ganges Treaty for managing this shared watershed between the two countries. Intending to end the difference between Bangladesh and India, the principal objective of the Ganges Treaty was to determine the amount of water to be released by India at the Farakka Barrage dam over the Ganges river. However, studies show that Bangladesh has had trouble receiving the guaranteed share of water during critical dry periods about 65% of the time.

The Ganges Treaty is set to expire in 2026. In the face of the many on-going coastal and riverine natural disasters faced by Bangladesh, hopes are high that the new agreement will be improved and aligned with advancements in water-governance and nature-based solutions amidst the rapid environmental degradation, presenting opportunities to explore beneficial mechanisms for river basin and watershed management.  

The Teesta river which also stretches through Sikkim and Bengal in India, before meeting the Brahmaputra (as the Meghna) in Bangladesh cuts through deep ravines and is the main cause of flash floods, landslides and earthquakes downstream. About 90 per cent of the river basin of the Meghna is located in India. Several haors or wetland ecosystems of Bangladesh are affected by the sediment flow from the Indian side, creating major problems for the biodiversity of the haors and downstream communities. However, agreements on managing the Teesta’s resources have been stuck in limbo, with both India and Bangladesh unable to find middle ground on the issue.

Looking to the future 

The opening up of Chittagong port is an opportunity for both India and Bangladesh to move towards a cooperative model of diplomacy where natural assets are concerned. Both countries face shared challenges in climate change disrupting water security and extreme flooding, leading to rising costs for damage repairs and an increasing number of displaced people. These challenges will only increase in the coming decade. Cooperative approaches to managing transboundary watersheds will be key to meeting these challenges in a way that meets security needs for both countries, while benefiting their citizens.   

It is critical to collaborate towards water dialogues that allow both countries to engage in joint management of the forests and wetlands, maintenance of complex hydrological systems across political borders that share the same geography and transboundary natural resources, as well as mitigate the issues faced by the populations dependent on the rivers as a lifeline. Transboundary conservation organizations like the IUCN are facilitating joint research and data sharing on land use, socioeconomic change and the opportunities for benefit-sharing especially in the Meghna river basin. Among the steps to develop benefit-sharing agreements, it hopes to identify the various benefits provided by the basin, build benefit and distribution-enhancing scenarios to tackle the harsh environmental expenses and marginalisation of the local communities. 

Consolidated nature-based solutions to unresolved political issues among these nations will benefit them economically as well as build resilience and productivity of the livelihood of people. A burgeoning on-going and unresolved problem such as the water-sharing of the Teesta between India and Bangladesh needs strong bilateral relations and cooperation to meet water shortages that are affecting economic growth. Both countries will be able to strengthen alliances and diplomatic partnerships by focussing on mutual benefit-sharing opportunities, that also recognises the socio-economic damage of existing and vulnerable bilateral water-sharing practices. The sharing of Chittagong Port must not be the end: it must be the start of a new cooperative diplomatic approach that recognizes our mutual challenge of climate insecurity.

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The author is a social entrepreneur focussing on ecological neutrality and impactful action, pioneering concepts to inspire community-based conservation and livelihoods in the Eastern Himalayas. 

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA.)