March 25, 2025
Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee’s Zero Hour mention on the need to consult the Bengal government before releasing water from the Teesta and on the clauses for the renewal of the Teesta water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh
Sir, the Teesta River is a 414 km long river rising in the Eastern Himalayas, flowing through Sikkim and West Bengal and subsequently entering into Bangladesh to flow into the Bay of Bengal. The Teesta is the second largest river in our State and traverses through our districts of Kalimgpong, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar before entering Bangladesh. The health of the Teesta River is suffering due to construction of a series of hydro-power projects in Sikkim, deforestation at the upper catchment area, and climate change. The hon. Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, had conveyed her strong reservation that no discussion regarding sharing of water and Farakka Treaty should be taken up with Bangladesh without the involvement of the West Bengal Government. The people of West Bengal would be the worst sufferers due to the impact of Agreements on water sharing between India and Bangladesh. The Government of India is in the process of renewing the IndoBangladesh Farakka Treaty, 1996, which is to expire in 2026. It has huge implications for the people of our State as far as their livelihoods are concerned and the water which is diverted at the Farakka Barrage is creating navigability problems for the Kolkata port. Sir, it is highly necessary to bring to the notice of the Union Government 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. Lakhs of our people have been displaced from their habitations, rendering them homeless and leading to loss of livelihood. The reduced silt load in the Hooghly River has impeded the nourishment of our Sundarbans Delta also. Now, our hon. Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, has written to the hon. Prime Minister thrice, highlighting that the Farakka Barrage has caused flooding and erosion in the State of West Bengal in a very big way. Water flow in the Teesta River has gone down over the years and it is estimated that if any water is shared with Bangladesh, lakhs of people in the northern part of our State will get severely impacted due to inadequate availability of irrigation water. Teesta water is also for meeting drinking water requirements of the residents in the northern part of Bengal. It is, therefore, not feasible to share Teesta water with Bangladesh. An Indo-Bhutan River Commission is also an urgent need of the hour, as flash floods from trans-boundary rivers in Bhutan are having devastating impacts on the northern districts of West Bengal. Sir, through you, I would urge upon and request the Union Government that the Government of West Bengal needs to be consulted regarding release of Teesta water to Bangladesh and also about the renewable clauses of the Indo-Bangladesh Farakka Treaty. These renewable clauses are very important. Thank you.
