The Teesta problem has been discussed over and again for ages. Nothing is working. Not being realized is a reflection of the many hopes and aspirations related to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people along the banks of the Teesta in Bangladesh. Every year a drought comes, and a monsoon comes. Burned by the heat, crops of the land are washed away by untimely floods. All efforts to remedy those problems are halted.
Since 1993, Bangladesh has been making strenuous efforts to resolve the issues related to the Teesta River. But since most of its problems are common, international and bilateral, it is difficult for Bangladesh to solve them alone. Therefore efforts are being made with neighboring India by signing agreements on the basis of bilateral cooperation and holding repeated meetings to find a solution in accordance with international law. Over the past three decades, many agreements have been signed through various discussions in hundreds of meetings. But due to various reasons and excuses they were not fruitful.
After the Teesta problem was kept on the file for a long time due to the non-cooperation and monotony of the upstream countries, after the Awami League came to power for the second time in Bangladesh, the Teesta river water distribution problem started unraveling from 2014 and to some extent, a ray of hope could be seen. But due to differences of opinion with the Central and West Bengal governments of India, those efforts repeatedly stumbled.
The Teesta river water crisis, especially during droughts, has resulted in extreme contradictions between the Center and the state, with mutual blame and mud-slinging. The government and the entire people of Bangladesh, including the victims of Teesta bank, were disappointed by the long wait. Indefinitely not getting the expected response from India, Bangladesh looked for alternative means. In view of this, when a third party was called to come forward in the Teesta revival project, China came forward. They use the experience of China's distress or Huangho river revitalization project to help solve the Teesta problem.
On 18th September 2016, Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Power Construction Corporation of China for investment in the Teesta revitalization project. That too was in a wavering state for a long time. Five years ago, when the Prime Minister of Bangladesh wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of China, optimism started in the implementation of the project. China is already 115 km into the Teesta catchment area of Bangladesh. Prepare project draft by completing part survey. While China has expressed interest in conducting deep surveys in the 'Chicken Neck' area of Sikkim Teesta Creek and Siliguri in the Teesta part of India, India's lack of national security in this regard has become noticeable.
India considers China's investment in the Teesta revitalization project and the presence of Chinese engineers and experts on Indian soil and the use of modern technology as a security threat. However, China wanted to start the implementation of the project immediately after the national elections on January 7, 2024. But even after five months have passed after the national election of Bangladesh, the work of the project has not yet started.
Meanwhile, our Prime Minister announced the early implementation of the Teesta Revival Project in an election public meeting at Rangpur on August 2, 2023. To hear the start date for the implementation of that declaration, the suffering residents of Teesta bank are eagerly waiting till the severe drought days of May this year.
The memorandum of understanding signed between the Bangladesh Water Development Board and the Power Construction Corporation of China or Power China on the Teesta revitalization project includes satellite cities planned on both banks of the Teesta River, river mining and governance, erosion prevention systems, modeled after Suqian City in East China's Jiangsu Province. It has been mentioned that a modern agricultural irrigation system, fish farming project and tourism center will be developed.
The Chinese company has already completed the design and feasibility study for the implementation of the project on the banks of the Teesta. Three Chinese delegations are working in the districts of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Rangpur and Gaibandha along the Teesta River. Among them, on May 10, New Delhi offered to invest money in the proposed multi-purpose project of dredging and construction of barrage in Teesta River inside Bangladesh. India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra made this proposal in a meeting with Bangladesh's Foreign Minister in Dhaka.
In this context, our Foreign Minister commented, 'We have undertaken a large project in Teesta. India wants to finance there. I said that the project in Teesta will be according to our needs. Let our needs be fulfilled.' It can be a big undertaking to fulfill our needs. But India's sudden focus on the Teesta revitalization project after decades of neglect has left our policy makers worried. It has been asked to think whether there is any other secret hidden behind it apart from achieving geo-political objectives.
Kolkata's Bengali newspaper Anandabazar said, "China has already offered investment and technology cooperation to Dhaka in Bangladesh's Teesta project. Within 48 hours of Sheikh Hasina's new government being sworn in in January, Yao Wen, the Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka, met the new Foreign Minister, Dr. Hasan Mahmud, and requested an expedited clearance for their project on the Teesta. But I have expressed concern to Bangladesh about the work of engineers and technicians of a third country on the Teesta River flowing between India and Bangladesh.
New Delhi basically, they have offered to invest money in the proposed multipurpose project of dredging and constructing barrages on the banks of the Teesta within Bangladesh. Bangladesh had been courting Beijing about this project for at least 12 years. Following Hasina's letter, China submitted a project draft surveying the 115-km course of the Teesta through Bangladesh. In that project, besides increasing the depth of 10 meters by dredging the Teesta river, reclaiming the land on both sides, building a four-lane road there and controlling the water level through some barrages and irrigation canals. But after that the project did not get clearance. Now India has proposed to implement that project.
However, India's sudden offer during the Indian national elections on the earlier agreement with China is somewhat mysterious. It is a matter of concern how all the policy makers and people of Bangladesh will accept this sudden investment interest from India after so long. Time will tell how faithfully Bangladesh will consider this financing interest of India.
As the time approaches for China to start work on the Teesta revitalization project, it will not be easy to convince India, which has been dormant for a long time, to share the Teesta water only on the proposal of their Foreign Secretary. India's practice of unilaterally withdrawing the waters of the Teesta and the resulting vacuum in providing Bangladesh with a legal and equitable share of the international flow of the Teesta is very painful. Analysts believe that India's interest in financing the Teesta revitalization project after signing an agreement with a third country could create a new wave of India's interest and participation in China.
Besides, India has not yet been told what Bangladesh's 'needs' or expectations are regarding the Teesta revitalization project. The ongoing tension between India and China over regional geopolitical power will further escalate if Bangladesh reaches out to India by violating the agreement signed with China. Besides, China may lose confidence in Bangladesh and reduce or stop its investment and technical assistance in other big projects we are running.
Therefore, the proposal of the Indian Foreign Secretary's interest in financing may prolong China's Teesta revival project as well as spoil China's good relations with Bangladesh. After India's financing proposal, China has already asked for additional expenditure of Tk. 30 thousand crore. Some people think that a situation like 'Shyam Rakhi na Kul Rakhi' has been created in the ‘Indian offer’ before the work has started.
But without verifying any public opinion, why did such a thought suddenly arise among the policy makers of our country?
Despite India's repeated promises to resolve the Teesta water issue, no action has been taken. We have found an alternative way for this. Where is the problem with being involved? To avoid this vacillation, one must think deeply. And for this reason, India should respond to the funding proposal with a deeper thought. Making big decisions in advance can be another trick. Therefore, the analysts think that the issue should be considered more seriously.
The author is a professor of the social work department and former dean of social science faculty of Rajshahi University.