FACT CHECK: Mamata's Claim On Ganga Water Treaty Review. Here's The Truth

New Delhi: Dismissing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that the state was kept out of the process, sources at the Centre said that West Bengal was consulted on the review of the Ganga Water Treaty with Bangladesh. The sources claimed the joint secretary (works) in the irrigation and waterways department of the West Bengal government conveyed in April the state's total demand for the next 30 years from the stretch downstream of the Farakka Barrage. This comes a day after Banerjee, in a letter to PM Modi, claimed that the decision to start talks for the renewal of the treaty was "unilateral" and urged the prime minister not to hold any such discussion with Bangladesh without involving the West Bengal government.

False Claim by West Bengal Government on Consultation for India-Bangladesh Treaty Review

• 24 July 2023: The Government of India requested the nomination of a representative from the West Bengal Government for the "Committee for carrying out an Internal Review of the India-Bangladesh Treaty of 1996 on Sharing of the Ganga/Ganges Waters at Farakka."
• 25 August 2023: The West Bengal Government responded by nominating the Chief Engineer (Design & Research) from the Irrigation & Waterways Directorate, Government of West Bengal, for the committee.
• 5 April 2024: The Joint Secretary (Works) of the Irrigation & Waterways Department, West Bengal Government, communicated the state's total water demand for the next 30 years from the downstream stretch of the Farakka Barrage.

Ganga Water Treaty 1996

India and Bangladesh signed the Ganga Water Treaty in 1996. The 30-year treaty is due to expire in 2026 but may be extended by mutual agreement.

The 1996 treaty for sharing the Ganges waters at Farakka aimed to settle disputes between India and Bangladesh over water allocation, which arose after the commissioning of the Farakka Barrage in 1975. The barrage was built to divert water from the Ganges to the Hooghly River to maintain the navigability of the Calcutta port. The treaty's main objective was to specify the amount of water that India would release downstream. In essence, the agreement fostered a cooperative arrangement between the upstream nation, India, and the downstream nation, Bangladesh, for sharing the Ganges water at Farakka, situated on the Bhagirathi River about 10 kilometers from the Bangladesh border.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday that India and Bangladesh will begin technical-level talks for the renewal of the 1996 treaty.

What Mamata Claimed?

In a three-page letter to PM Modi, Banerjee said, “I am writing this letter in the context of the recent visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. It seems that water-sharing issues relating to the Ganges and Teesta rivers may have been discussed during the meeting. Such unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government is neither acceptable nor desirable." Bengal has a very close relationship with Bangladesh - geographically, culturally and economically, she noted. Banerjee, while referring to the Indo-Bangla agreement on exchange of enclaves and rail-bus connectivity services between the two nations, maintained that West Bengal has “cooperated with Bangladesh on several issues in the past” contributing to the “betterment of economy in the region”.

“However, water is very precious and is the lifeline of the people. We cannot compromise on such a sensitive issue, which has severe and adverse implications on the people. People of West Bengal will be the worst sufferers due to the impact of such agreements,” said Banerjee, in reference to both Teesta and Farakka waters.

Focusing on the 1996 Bangladesh Farakka Treaty, which, according to Banerjee, is currently in the process of renewal ahead of its scheduled expiry in 2026, the chief minister highlighted the “disruption of river links causing reduction of water availability” in rivers on this side of the international border, and “accentuated riverbank erosion” as twin fallout of the Farakka Barrage project.

“I would like to bring to your notice that river morphology has changed in the eastern part of India and Bangladesh over many years, which has deprived West Bengal and negatively impacted the water availability in the state,” she said in the letter.

Terming the disconnection of the Bhagirathi from the Ganges a “genesis of construction of the Farakka Barrage Project”, she stressed on the impact of reduced silt flow into the Hooghly River as an additional fallout.

“This has accentuated erosion by the rivers and the areas both in the upstream and downstream of the barrage have faced serious loss of life and property… Lakhs of people have been displaced from their habitation rendering them homeless and also leading to their loss of livelihood. The reduced silt load in Hooghly has impeded the nourishment of the Sunderban delta,” the CM said.

Banerjee also alleged central deprivation over promised dredging funds, and the “unilateral reduction” of the Farakka Barrage Project Authority for implementing anti-erosion work in the region.

Turning her attention to the discussion over the sharing of Teesta water between the two countries, Banerjee blamed the construction of a “series of hydropower projects in Sikkim, deforestation in upper catchment and impact of climate change” as reasons behind the river’s health suffering.

“It seems that, in the meeting, the Government of India has proposed a bilateral cooperation between India and Bangladesh for restoration of Teesta in Bangladesh,” she observed.

The chief minister also reasoned why it would “not be feasible to share Teesta water with Bangladesh”. “Due to reasons stated above, water flow in Teesta has gone down over the years and it is estimated that if any water is shared with Bangladesh, lakhs of people in North Bengal will get severely impacted due to inadequate availability of irrigation water. In addition, Teesta water is also needed for meeting drinking water requirements of the residents of North Bengal,” she asserted. “I love and respect the people of Bangladesh and always wish for their well-being... (but) I convey my strong reservation that no discussion on sharing of Teesta water and the Farakka Treaty should be taken up with Bangladesh without the involvement of the state government. The interest of people in West Bengal is paramount, which should not be compromised at any cost,” Banerjee added further.