The Accursed Farakka: Half a century of water denial

Fifty-one years ago today, hundreds of thousands of people marched through the dust of Rajshahi toward the Farakka Barrage, led by the renowned peasant leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani.

They were demanding a simple yet vital right: a fair share of river water.

Half a century later, that demand remains largely unmet, and the barrage has become a cautionary tale affecting both India and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh observed the 51st Farakka Long March Day on Saturday, commemorating the historic mobilisation of 16 May 1976.

Bhashani led the march from the Madrasa ground in Rajshahi toward the barrage, culminating in a massive rally at Kanasat High School grounds.

The day is now observed as a symbol of resistance against water deprivation and transboundary injustice.

Constructed by India just 18 kilometres from the Bangladesh border at Manoharpore, the Farakka Barrage was designed to divert Ganges water through a feeder canal toward Kolkata port.

Construction began on 30 January 1961 and was completed in 1970. The barrage became operational in 1974 under the Mujib–Indira agreement.

From 1976 onward, India began unilaterally withdrawing water, reducing Bangladesh’s share of the Ganges.

Before the barrage, Bangladesh received up to 40,000 cusecs of water from the Padma even in the dry winter season.

By March 1997, that figure had fallen to just 6,457 cusecs — the lowest recorded since the barrage became operational — despite the 1996 bilateral water-sharing treaty guaranteeing Bangladesh 34,500 cusecs.

Unlike the 1977 agreement, the 1996 treaty included no binding guarantee clause, leaving India under no legal obligation to deliver the committed volume.

What was once dismissed in India as Bangladeshi grievance-mongering has since drawn unlikely Indian support.

In August 2016, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for the permanent demolition of the Farakka Barrage and directly linking it to catastrophic flooding in Bihar.

Following his demand, Indian authorities opened 95 of the barrage’s 104 gates — a remarkable concession that reverberated across Bangladesh.

The risks posed by Farakka were predicted long before it became a political flashpoint.

In 1961, Kapil Bhattacharya, a supervising engineer in West Bengal’s Irrigation and Waterways Department, warned of accelerated silt accumulation, reduced water flow to then-East Pakistan, and increased flooding in Malda, Murshidabad, and parts of Bihar.

Labelled a Pakistani spy by the Indian media, he was forced to resign. His predictions have since been borne out.

Activist Medha Patkar and several experts have stated that Farakka now causes more harm than benefit even within India and should be decommissioned without delay.

Professor Dr Sumana Bandyopadhyay of the University of Calcutta, who conducted field research on the barrage, noted sandbanks forming in the river and herons standing mid-stream, while communities suffered from severe riverbank erosion.

She likened the barrage to “holding down a snake’s head — sooner or later, it strikes back.”

The downstream impact on Bangladesh has been severe. Rivers including the Padma, Mahananda, Pagla, and Punarbhaba in Chapainawabganj district have steadily lost navigability, turning into stretches of sand.

Water analysts warn that if upstream diversion continues, the northwestern region of Bangladesh could face desertification by 2030 — a process already visibly underway.

BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir described the barrage as a “death trap” for Bangladesh.

He said the northwestern region has been reduced to near-desert conditions due to decades of unilateral water withdrawal, calling 16 May a day of historic national significance and reiterating the demand for Bangladesh’s rightful share of Ganges water under international law.

As Bangladesh marks over five decades since Bhashani’s march, the political and ecological case against Farakka remains urgent.

What began as a Bangladeshi protest has grown into a broader regional concern over transboundary water management, sustainability, and equitable resource sharing.