Bangladesh monitoring canal digging in Teesta Barrage Project

Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh is monitoring with caution the issue of two more canals being excavated within the scope of the Teesta Barrage Project by the West Bengal government of India, said Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
The Director General and Spokesperson of the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saheli Sabreen, briefed the media during the weekly media briefing about the update of the issue of West Bengal government’s unilateral decision
to dig canals on the trans-boundary river Teesta. Sabreen stated that we have noticed the issue of two more canals being dug within the scope of the Teesta Barrage Project by India. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely monitoring the matter.
She also mentioned that efforts are being made to verify the truth of the canal dredging issue. “The Ministry of Water Resources and the Joint River Commission are discussing this matter. We hope to discuss this with India as well,” she said.
“We are carefully monitoring the situation. We will resolve any issues with India after discussing with concerned ministries,” she said.
Earlier Media reports stated that the West Bengal government’s acquisition of 1,000 acres of land for canal construction within the Teesta Barrage Project is raising concerns in Bangladesh.
While the move will increase irrigation in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts, it could impact Bangladesh’s water supply.
The Teesta water sharing agreement between India and Bangladesh, which could help address the water crisis northern part of Bangladesh, has been pending for over a decade.
On March 2, the Jalpaiguri district administration handed over the land to the state’s Irrigation Minister, Partha Bhowmik, for the construction of two canals on the left bank of Teesta.
Against this situation, Bangladesh is closely monitoring the situation.
River experts opined that the livelihoods of the people in the northern part of the country will be adversely affected by West Bengal’s unilateral decision to dig two additional canals for diverting water from the Teesta River, which flows across the border.
As per Indian media reports, there are already 42 dams constructed on the Teesta, originating from Tibbet.
Experts said that such ‘arbitrary’ withdrawal of water will result in northern Bangladesh becoming even drier, dealing a severe blow to the region’s already-stressed nature and environment due to climate change.