Child activist raises our water sharing problem with India at World Water Conference

The news was not covered in Bangladesh media prominently. Climate and child rights activist Fatiha Ayat, an 11-year-old of Bangladeshi origin, deserves our plaudits because she on her own raised the issue of India’s unilateral withdrawal of water of Bangladesh’s rivers on the first day of the World Water Conference held in New York where UN Under Secretary General Lee Junha and India’s water expert Ajit Patnaik were present.
Ayat’s speech on March 22 will not change India’s attitude towards Bangladesh regarding the water issue, but being a girl activist her speech will certainly act as a reminder to the international audience about Bangladesh’s big neighbour’s attitude towards its small neighbour. This is particularly important when the Bangladesh government conspicuously failed to ensure a deal on Teesta water sharing as a result of which the relevant northern region of the country has turned into deserts where farmers do not get water for irrigation.  
In her speech, Fatiha rightly outlined plans for upstream dams and inter-river connectivity through various hydro projects in India. She observed that Bangladesh is not given its fair share of water from the joint rivers, pertinently pointing out that these activities of India have caused floods, droughts, river erosion, inundation and salinity in Bangladesh.
Fatiha Ayat also said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh just two years ago to celebrate the latter’s 50 years of independence. But as always, the high-profile visit failed to resolve the water-sharing dispute of the common rivers which is the most important bilateral problem of both countries.
This child rights activist also highlighted the ineffectiveness of the Joint River Commission and recalled that in 2011, India verbally agreed to give 37.5 per cent of water to Bangladesh during the dry season, but no agreement was actually signed. And so Bangladesh did not get its fair share.
Adding to existing water sharing woes for Bangladesh, West Bengal of India recently has also started digging canals and setting up of hydro power plants upstream India. In the wake of this Bangladesh sent a note verbale to India which has not been responded as yet.
On the issue of water sharing of common rivers as well as killing of Bangladesh citizens along the borders by BSF, the present government of Bangladesh always has failed to take strong position against India seeking redress through international laws on common rivers.