Photo: Reuters

Like every other years, the 22 March of 2013 is being observed as the World Water Day, focusing on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Following a recommendation from the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, the UN General Assembly designated 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. Since then, each year World Water Day is observed, highlighting a specific aspect of freshwater. So far different aspects like Caring for Our Water Resources, Women and Water, Water for Thirsty Cities, Groundwater, Everyone lives Downstream, Water for the 21st Century, Water for Health, Water for Development, Water for the Future, Water and Disaster, Water and Culture, Water Scarcity, Sanitation, Transboundary Waters, Water Quality, Water for Cities, Water and Food Security have been highlighted.

This year, the focus is even broader, as the year 2013 has been declared as the International Year of Water Cooperation by the UN. It is evident that the growing population and rapid urbanization is putting pressure on the freshwater resources of the world. In order to manage this precious resource, cooperation is essential between different users for the betterment of the environment and ecosystem. Hence, the slogan for the year 2013 World Water Day, “Water, Water Everywhere, Only If We Share” draws attention to the need for cooperation in water resources management. In this article we focus on the importance of cooperation in water management in the context of Bangladesh.

Let’s explore the meaning of cooperation in water management in different context. In a local scale, cooperation in water management reflects integrated management of water among various stakeholders like municipal, irrigation, industrial, recreational, and instream or ecological needs. But, do we always consider the need of the ecosystem?

Let’s see a typical example. Consider an area in Bangladesh where supplementary irrigation is required for better crop production, and as a management strategy the government builds a barrage on a river passing over the area to supply sufficient amount of freshwater to irrigated land. As a result, the food production of that area increases and solves the food scarcity. However, because of the barrage, the natural riverine ecosystem will be negatively impacted unless provisions for ecological flow are maintained or proper fish pass is included in the design. In most cases, the proper measures to protect the riverine ecosystem are ignored in these development projects, which directly impact the downstream users who live their lives on fisheries. So, we can see, without integrated management of water resources, even though we can solve problem in one particular area, it can create problems in other area. As a result, the overall socio-economic equilibrium of the country or region will be impacted. In a nutshell, we need to manage our water resources in an integrated manner considering the interest of all stakeholders in a watershed or basin.

Now, let’s bring our focus on sharing of water resources among various stakeholders living in a basin area of a transboundary river. River basin is not confined by political boundaries, and multiple nations can share a common river basin and its water resources. About 86% of the countries in the world have international river basin. To ensure equitable and reasonable sharing of water resources of these international basins cooperation among all stakeholders, including the policymakers, hydrologists, and water resources engineers is essential. But, in reality, how much cooperation is being practiced? For example, the India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission is a bilateral body that exists for decades to resolve the water conflicts between these two countries; however, it took about 20 years to sign the Gages Water-sharing Treaty. The Teesta conflict is yet to be resolved even after two decades of discussion; and the Indian plan for building the multipurpose Tipaimukh Dam project is still proceeding without any consideration for environmental impacts on downstream region in Bangladesh. Even if we look at in global scale, the 1997 UN Convention on the Laws of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses is not yet in force because of insufficient ratification or acceptance of the convention by many countries in the world, including India and Bangladesh.

The UN declaration to celebrate the year 2013 as the International Year for Water Cooperation is very fitting. Bangladesh being at the receiving end of the flow in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basins is completely dependent on upper riparian countries for a guaranteed natural flow in these rivers and their tributaries. Only 8% of basin areas of the GBM basins belong to the territory of Bangladesh. Therefore, Bangladesh should wholeheartedly welcome the UN declaration and work hand in hand with the UN and upper riparian nations. Although the UN declaration is very fitting, by itself this declaration will not do any good for Bangladesh. Bangladesh needs to be more work towards implementation of the UN declaration. The UN have undertaken various programmes to commemorate the World Water Day to be held on March 22 that includes a high-level interactive dialogue among various countries and several panel discussions to identify challenges and solutions related to transboundary water resources sharing. If planned ahead of time then Bangladesh probably could partake in these forums or panel discussions. The UN is open to various ideas about finding potential projects to highlight the importance of cooperation among co-riparian countries because this is their own motto for this year.

Bangladesh could be proactive and could jump on all these activities.  Bangladesh can be diplomatic in getting the UN’s attention to the problems in our region and can seek for ways to extend international research and collaboration to resolve water-related conflicts and lack of collaboration among the co-riparian countries in the GBM basins.

There are several UN-sponsored programmes, such as the UN-Water Programme, International Hydrologic Programme (IHP), and PC-CP (potential conflicts to cooperation potential). They are involved in carrying our research under UN funding and in resolving water-related problems. Bangladesh and Bangladeshi scientists and policymakers could be involved in these programmes to the extent possible. The PC-CP programme under the IHP is another venue where Bangladesh can raise water-related environmental issues that all countries in the GBM basins are facing and seek for involvement, suggestions, and resolution. Although the final outcome from such involvement is somewhat uncertain, by participating in these programmes, Bangladesh can be on the radar screen among the international community with regard to water and climate change issues.  The world is aware of the potential consequences that Bangladesh faces as an impact of climate change, but most of the people cannot make the connection between water-scarcity from upper riparian region to the impact of climate change in Bangladesh.  Less water we have during summer months, more salinity encroachment will occur in coastal region, which will devastate the agriculture, navigation, irrigation, and ecosystems in the Sundarbans – the World Heritage site. Bangladesh needs to highlight the impact of low flow on her economy and environment in the face of climate change to the rest of the world.

The World Water Day provides the right platform to do just that.

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Zahidul Islam is a Hydrologist at Government of Alberta, Canada; and Md. Khalequzzaman is a Professor of Geology at Lock Haven University, USA.

Apparently, taking heed into such a wide-spread opposition and apprehension against the dam, both the governments of Bangladesh and India have announced to carry out a joint assessment of potential impacts of the dam on the environment and ecosystems in months to come.  An expert committee has been formed in Bangladesh with 10 members representing various government-run organizations.

Recently, during a visit by the Indian minister, Jairam Ramesh, announced that the joint experts group will meet on August 27 in New Delhi to discuss the concern.  The composition of the Indian expert team has not been made public yet.  Although higher authority in the Indian government has maintained that they will not do anything that will harm the interest of Bangladesh.  In this backdrop, it is expected that in dealing with the Indian counterparts the members of the Bangladesh expert committee will keep the following points in mind and should demand documentation from Indian authority to substantiate the promises made by them at various occasions.

The Tipaimukh Dam is designed to retain 15 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water at peak level, which is about 31% of the total flow of water that enters Bangladesh through Barak into Surma-Kushiyara-Meghna rivers.  Therefore, it cannot be acceptable by Bangladesh that India will have unilateral control over 31% of the water in a shared river unless there is treaty with guarantee clauses that ensure integrated water resources management plan that will protect the interest of all stakeholders in basin.  Indian government has already issued the environmental clearance certificate on October 24, 2008, and they are moving forward with the project despite serious concerns raised by Bangladesh and Indian environmental groups, as well as the indigenous people in Monipur and Mizoram.  In their environmental analysis, India never carried out any study inside Bangladesh, especially in the haor region to study the ecosystems that exist and depend on natural flow in Surma-Kushiyara-Meghna rivers and their numerous tributaries.  It is expected that the joint expert committee will share historic data on river-flow at various locations along the basin and will study the ecosystems in the haor region during varied hydrologic and climatic conditions.

India claims that the Tipaimukh Dam is a run-of-the-river project and no water will be diverted for irrigation, and therefore, no harm will be done to Bangladesh.  This argument should be challenged on the following grounds: (a) India will have to fill up the reservoir that holds 15 BCM of water, out of which about 8 BCM will be dead storage.  If this 8 BCM water is released over 365 days in a year then it amounts to about 9,000 cusec, which is a huge amount for the Surma-Kushiyara-Meghna  rivers in dry season.  As result of the dam, the flow characteristics will be different as compared to the flow that existed prior to the dam.  What will be the basis of daily discharges from the dam?  Will the discharge decision be made jointly? If not, can the haor people live with this uncertainty to grow their crops? (b) The life, livelihood, and ecosystems in haor region have established an equilibrium with the natural flow of the rivers, and the farmers prepare their field in harmony with this natural flow regime.  How will the boro cultivation and other ways of haor life will be affected?

Will India be prepared to discard the planning of the dam should the findings by the joint expert committee do not favour construction of the dam?

India has offered Bangladesh to invest in the hydro-electric project. This proposal should be vetted on the following counts: (a) Three Indian entity have already signed a joint venture project with a deadline of 87 months for completion of the project.  What will happen to this agreement and the environmental clearance that are already in place? (b) There is no treaty between India and Bangladesh about joint management of water resources in Barak-Surma-Kushiyara basin.  If Bangladesh invests money in the project, will India decide unilaterally how much water they will release and when they will release it, or will there be fresh agreement about the ownership of the project? (c) Since the Barak-Surma-Kushiyara is an international river system, Bangladesh should not pay for electricity, India should provide a fair share to Bangladesh for free as they agreed to do so for free for Manipur State as a stakeholder.  Similarly, will India provide an equitable share of electricity to Bangladesh for free?

Adviser Gawher Rizvi argued that since the Tipaimukh Dam is 140 miles away from the Bangladesh border its impact will be minimal on Bangladesh.  The truth couldn’t be far from this.  Barak-Surma-Kushiyara-Meghna is a continuous river system that empties in the Bay of Bengal. Therefore, any interference with the water-flow will be felt all the way to the Bay of Bengal.  For example, the Farakka Barrage is over 100 miles from the shoreline in Bangladesh, but its negative impacts on the salinity intrusion and the water level in the Gorai and other rivers in SW Bangladesh are documented facts.  A similar situation is likely to occur in the greater Mymensingh and Sylhet districts should the water is diverted from Barak River through any barrage (such as the proposed Phulertal Barrage in Assam).  Salinity will likely encroach up the Meghna-Kalini-Kushiyara-Surma-Gorautra rivers farther inland, impacting the agriculture and fisheries in parts of Habiganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Sunamganj, Sylhet districts.  What kind of computer simulation model will they run to make sure that salinity intrusion will not intensify in Bangladesh following the dam?

As a part of FAP-6 study, it was concluded that if the Tipaimukh Dam is completed then the flow in Bangladesh will increase in summer months and will decrease in rainy season.  This finding is questionable on the following accounts: (a) Since India has not completed the dam they don’t have any water-release schedule yet. The conclusions in FAP-6 are based on many assumptions, which may or may not be true.  In fact, one of the researchers involved in FAP-6, Ainun Nishat, admitted that their study was done based on many unknowns and assumptions; (b) As mentioned before, any departure from the natural flow will mean adjustments for farmers and fishermen in terms of the timing for preparation of agricultural fields, planting of seeds, and harvesting the crops.  Most importantly, without a joint ownership of the project, the people of Bangladesh will have to rely on the mercy and decision of the Indian authority for their fair share of water.

In essence, only the natural flow in the Surma-Kushiyara-Meghna river system can assure the well-being of the life and livelihood of the people and the environment.  Anything less than the natural flow will mean a compromise for the environment and ecosystems in the haor region of Bangladesh.

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Md. Khalequzzaman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Geology, Lock Haven University, USA.