The Teesta River has now become a significant issue for Bangladesh. India has frequently used the Teesta as a political tool. In the name of implementing the Teesta agreement, India has extracted benefits from us. They have also established connectivity and infrastructure in this Bengal. But what have we received in return? We still face a trade deficit with them. The Teesta is a major disaster for us. Without caring about our situation, India releases and holds back water at will every year. Is there nothing we can say? We repeatedly witness this situation. During the dry season, they cause desertification, which hampers agricultural activities and leaves our farmers increasingly unproductive. More than two crore people, who benefit from the Teesta, reside within Bangladesh’s geographical boundaries. The Teesta River enters Bangladesh through the Rangpur Division of northern Bangladesh from India and is the fourth-largest river in the country. Its floodplain spans 2,750 square kilometers. It is the primary water source for Boro rice cultivation, Bangladesh's largest crop, and irrigates about 15 percent of the total agricultural land.

The Teesta Barrage Project is Bangladesh’s largest irrigation project, and it depends on Teesta’s water. This project covers six districts of northern Bangladesh—Nilphamari, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Bogura, Gaibandha, and Joypurhat—spanning 750,000 hectares of land. The livelihoods and economy of the people in northern Bangladesh are intricately connected to the Teesta.

Despite protests to assert our rights, no remedy has been achieved. Attempts through friendly diplomatic efforts have also failed. We cannot deny that India is our close neighboring friend. However, will the problem be solved if India acts with an air of superiority, as a large nation?

The past history of the Teesta is filled with bitterness. Since Bangladesh's independence, the dispute between Bangladesh and India over the distribution of Teesta's water has continued. In 1972, when a river commission was established, it was decided to resolve the issue of the distribution of the Ganges and Teesta water at the prime ministerial level, considering the sensitive nature of the issue and public expectations. Unfortunately, during the three-and-a-half-year rule of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, none of the issues were resolved. On the other hand, allowing India to unilaterally operate the Farakka Barrage has caused irreparable damage to our national interests. The people of Bangladesh, led by Maulana Bhasani, organized a massive long march in protest of the Farakka Barrage, shaking India. That was a historic protest march. Even after so many years of independence from Pakistan, India seems disinterested in resolving the Teesta issue.

India is constructing dams at will along the 400-kilometer stretch of the Teesta towards the coast. One such dam is the Teesta Barrage in Gajoldoba, West Bengal, built in 1998, about 60 kilometers upstream from Bangladesh's border. This barrage, with 54 gates, diverts water from the Teesta’s main flow into various channels, primarily to the Teesta and Mahananda canals. These canals supply irrigation water to the districts of Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, and Malda in India. Effectively, the water from the Teesta River is being diverted towards Bihar’s Mechi River via the Gajoldoba Barrage. Upstream of Farakka, this water will be re-supplied through the Fulhar River. A dam is also being constructed on the Mechi River, which will implement India’s inter-river connectivity plan in North Bengal and Bihar. Besides this, two hydropower dams already exist in Sikkim—one in Kulesani and another upstream. India is planning to construct more dams on the Teesta. The continuous construction of dams has severely disrupted the flow of water, causing sediment buildup, altering the river's course, intensifying erosion, and drastically reducing the water flow. The Indian authorities are withdrawing almost all the water from the Teesta-Mahananda river system. As a result, the once-mighty Teesta has gradually turned into a virtually dead river. During the dry season, less than 500 cubic feet per second of water is now flowing through the Gajoldoba point.

An interim agreement on the Teesta was signed between the government of Bangladesh and India in 1983. According to the agreement, Bangladesh would receive 36%, India 39%, and the remaining 25% would be reserved to maintain the river's navigability. This interim agreement expired in 1985 but was extended for another two years until 1987. However, due to India’s non-cooperation, no further agreement was reached. During Sheikh Hasina’s government, a deal on Teesta water sharing was scheduled to be signed in September 2011. India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were supposed to visit Bangladesh together, but just before the trip, Mamata Banerjee canceled her visit. Manmohan Singh then said he would not sign the Teesta water-sharing agreement without Mamata Banerjee. The deal had been finalized, with a proposed duration of 15 years. Under this agreement, 42.5% of the Teesta’s water would have gone to India, while 37.5% would have been allocated to Bangladesh. Each time Sheikh Hasina’s government has attempted to finalize the Teesta deal, Mamata Banerjee’s opposition has created obstacles, as she sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing her concerns. The letter stated, "We have been suffering due to the Farakka agreement since 1996. Giving away Bengal’s water means increased erosion along the Ganges, which will submerge people’s homes. The lack of dredging at Farakka has reduced the navigability of Kolkata Port, affecting the livelihoods of millions. There is no water in the Teesta. If we give water from there, people won’t have drinking water, and agricultural activities will suffer. Therefore, it is impossible to give away water at the expense of the state's interests.” Due to Mamata Banerjee’s opposition, the Teesta water-sharing agreement could not be finalized.

As Bangladesh has not been able to secure its fair share of Teesta’s water, the Teesta Barrage was initiated in 1979 in the village of Dosani in the Gadimari Union of Hatibandha Upazila in Lalmonirhat district to irrigate agricultural land. The construction of the main dam was completed in 1990, with other work following. The full construction of the barrage was completed on the Bangladesh side in 1998. The 615.24-meter-long dam was intended to divert 600,000 cubic feet of water during the dry season for irrigation purposes across several districts. In 1953, under the large Teesta project, the then-Pakistani government initiated the construction of the Teesta dam with the goal of irrigating 1.335 million acres of land in 35 upazilas of seven districts. This shows that negotiations over the Teesta have been ongoing since after Pakistan's independence. However, the Teesta Barrage has not provided the desired solution to the water crisis, and the problem remains unsolved.

In a recent interview with India’s news agency PTI, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, head of the caretaker government, discussed the Teesta issue. He mentioned that the interim government would negotiate with India to resolve the longstanding unresolved issue of Teesta water distribution. This issue has been lingering for a long time, and neither country is benefiting from it.

In an interview at his residence in Dhaka, Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus said that under international law, the issue of water distribution between two countries must be resolved. He noted that downstream countries like Bangladesh have specific rights that must be upheld. He added that sitting idly on the issue is not helping, and it would be better to know exactly how much water Bangladesh will receive. Even if we are not happy with the amount, at least there would be clarity. The issue needs to be resolved. He also stated that in 2011, when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Dhaka, the Teesta water-sharing deal had nearly been finalized, but West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to approve it, citing her state’s water crisis.

This is not a new issue but rather an old one. We have discussed it many times. Discussions on the matter began during the era of Pakistan’s rule. Every time we have tried to finalize the agreement, even when the Indian government was ready, the West Bengal state government was not. We must resolve this matter. Dr. Yunus reiterated that downstream countries like Bangladesh have the right to uphold their specific rights. He emphasized that the issue should be resolved according to international rules and regulations, stating that downstream countries have certain rights, and we are asking for those rights.

The people of Bangladesh are beginning to hope that the assertive stance of Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, with his international acceptance and firm foreign policy approach, could bring a solution to the rightful water share of the Teesta. As we await the realization of this hope, we must remain patient.

The writer is a former banker and a columnist.