The amicable settlement of the Teesta Water Treaty is crucial in terms of maintaining India's importance in the South Asian region and in the global competition.
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Earlier this month, shortly after Modi's new government was formed, India's foreign minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar called on Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momin visited Tajikistan during the SICA Conference (Conference of Interaction and Confidence Measures in Asia). Dr. AK Abdul Momin S. Jaishankar was summoned to give instructions to 100 Indian Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Bangladesh. He also stressed on the need to sign the Teesta Agreement .
Although the 400 km long river Teesta flows through both India and Bangladesh, it has never caused a bitter feud between the two countries. However, the construction of the Gajaldoba Dam in West Bengal, India, which has blocked the flow of the Teesta River, has been a source of tension between the two countries for the past half-century. The dispute has been raging since the signing of the Ganga Agreement in 1996 and during the 2011 visit of the then Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka, which both countries agreed to sign. But, at the very last moment, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee opposed the provisions of the Teesta Accord and the discussion fizzled out.And left to sign this agreement. Bangladesh's efforts to get the agreement signed have continued ever since. Dr. As Mamata Banerjee's party is a key player in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-led government, it has not been able to contain Mamata Banerjee's opposition. Although there were no such restrictions in the Raloa government that came three years later, the issue of signing the Teesta Treaty remained dusty due to sharp political and ideological differences between the central government and the state government.
As the Teesta is a major river in the backward Rangpur region of Bangladesh, Bangladesh's efforts to get the agreement signed have continued unabated . Also, much of northwestern Bangladesh is drought prone. Therefore, this river is directly or indirectly the lifeblood of 21 million Bangladeshis . The Government of India is aware of its important role in concluding a high-level watershed agreement on the Teesta River to make Bangladesh-India relations successful and strong. But it remains to be seen whether the government is aware of the importance of this agreement in its next major ACT EAST policy.
By signing the Teesta Agreement, India can show its neighbors that water is an important tool in its foreign policy. Four of the six member nations of BIMSTEC - Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and India - share rivers. India has signed various water agreements with these four countries. However, the scope of these agreements is limited, technology-centric, and they do not appear to have a comprehensive approach covering river basins.
The existing draft policy of the Teesta Agreement has no change. It does not mention any provisions for groundwater reservoir, disaster management, socio-economic development of riverine inhabitants, demand management and adaptation and management of climate change, and preservation of natural and cultural heritage in the Teesta Valley. We hope that the Governments of India and Bangladesh will reconsider this draft and work towards making this agreement more sustainable and effective.
Thus, the signing of the revised draft will also give scope to improve India's water agreements with other countries - Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar. This will help in fostering a sense of fairness and mutual benefit and will create an image of India as a water-led country among India's riverside neighbors. It will be possible for India to expand its humble policies and at the same time keep an eye on the aggressive policy of neighboring China.
By concluding water agreements that are economically viable, socially just and environmentally sustainable, India can also boost economic development in neighboring countries. Slow benefits will increase their importance, increasing community engagement will increase purchasing power, expand markets in the process, reduce the risk of natural disasters due to environmental sustainability, protect the livelihoods of primary sector workers and build community capacity to resist climate change and economic viability. Emphasis will be placed on conservation of natural resources, increasing productivity in all economic sectors and accelerating growth and exports. It would be very easy to just connect all this to the water agreement. But, given the importance of water in human health, society, economy, prosperous environment and our existence,
India has the economic, political, and cultural strength to lead its riverside neighbors in achieving joint development based on water. Unlike the way China is aggressively expanding its presence in Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh, India will pursue a softer and less aggressive policy, which will see these countries as a friendly country to India. The prudent planning and use of water to strengthen economic and political ties with neighboring countries will create an image of India as a country with a clear foreign policy, different from the image of a formerly ambitious but peaceful country.
India has already used the tools of trade, economic development, military might, development and humanitarian assistance, non-aligned policy in pursuit of its long-term or short-term foreign policy objectives. Water plays a vital role in achieving India's global goals in the 21st century. With political interests and geopolitical ambitions, the balance of interests between society, the economy and the environment must be handled carefully and efficiently.
2020 is the birth centenary year of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. Against this backdrop, a meaningful, fair and sustainable Teesta Agreement should be signed with Bangladesh and our willingness to assert our geopolitical position through our effective border-water policy should be emphasized.
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