Teesta River water diversion: Delhi has not yet replied to Dhaka’s ‘note verbale’

Diplomatic Correspondent :
Delhi has not yet responded to the note verbal sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pertaining to the steps undertaken by the West Bengal to divert water from the Teesta River by excavating two canals.
“Bangladesh has taken the issue after reports unfolded regarding the excavation of canals to divert water from Teesta River. We sent a note verbal to Delhi, but India has not respondent yet,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin said on Thursday during the weekly press briefing in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On March 19, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen told the journalists that the ministry sent a letter to New Delhi requesting to inform about the water diversion from Teesta River by excavating canals.
The journalists asked the Foreign Secretary whether a letter was sent to India from the Ministry of Water Resources regarding the digging of canals.
Masud Bin Momen also stated that the Ministry of Water Resources would also send letter to Delhi.
Recently, the English daily The Telegraph reported that within the framework of the Teesta barrage project, the Irrigation Department of West Bengal has acquired ownership of almost 1,000 acres of land for two more canal digging.
The Jalpaiguri district administration has handed over the ownership of the land to the Irrigation Department in the presence of West Bengal State Irrigation Minister Partho Bhowmik.
As per Indian media reports, there are already 42 dams constructed on the Teesta, beginning from Sikkim.
Teesta River is the lifeline of the northern part of Bangladesh as the river spans a number of districts and enlivens
the dry lands of those areas. Farmers of those areas are dependent on the water of Teesta for irrigation. Apart from it, the biodiversity of the area is solely dependent on the river.
Because of a number of India hydro-electric projects on the upper riparian of the transboundary Teesta River, India has chocked the free flow of water on the river. As a result, a vast land of lower riparian region in Bangladesh remains dry.
The Teesta Water Sharing deal is still pending for decades due to reservation of West Bengal government. Consequently Bangladesh is not getting its fair share of water.
Amid such a situation, the new adventure taken by the West Bangal government to divert water by two canals in a bid to enliven their lands has created new concerns for Bangladesh.