Source- The Hindu
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the neighbouring countries India and Bangladesh on sharing the waters of the Kushiyara river, which is a distributary of the Barak river which flows through Assam, and then flows onto Bangladesh.
The agreement was signed in the year 2022 because both the neighbours witnessed disastrous floods which necessitated the need for greater cooperation on flood control and irrigation-related issues between the two nations bound by a common border.
The Teesta River dispute and the Ganges River dispute are the two main long-standing water conflicts between India and Bangladesh. Both rivers form an essential source of water for fishermen, farmers, and boatmen in both nations.
The Kushiyara Agreement
This is the first major water sharing agreement signed between the two friendly neighbours since the Ganga water treaty in 1996, though they have managed to settle several other outstanding issues, including the contentious border disputes which affected the bilateral ties between the two.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed a memorandum of understanding on sharing the waters of the Kushiyara river, a contract that will benefit residents of southern Assam and the Sylhet division of Bangladesh, to divide up the resources of the river that flows through both nations.
Since taking office as prime minister in 2009, PM Hasina has upheld a cordial relationship with India, and she emphasized the demand for a formal agreement. She said at a news conference that they hoped that all their outstanding issues, including the Teesta water sharing treaty, would be concluded at an early date.
The main problem was that the course of the Barak river had changed over the last century. The major chunk of the river flowed into Kushiyara while the remainder flowed into Surma. Under the signed MoU, Bangladesh will be able to withdraw 153 cusecs ( cubic feet per second) of water from the Kushiyara out of the approximately 2,500 cusecs of water that is present in the river during the winter season. The river usually remains dry during the winter season in Bangladesh.
Benefits of the Treaty
This agreement between the two nations will benefit approximately 10,000 hectares of land and millions of people since the water will flow through a network of canals in Sylhet, aiding in the growth of Boro rice, a variety of rice farmers grow in the dry months of December to February. Bangladesh had complained that it was not possible to grow Boro rice in their country since India was not allowing it to withdraw water from the Kushiyara river.
The Kushiyara agreement signed between the neighbouring countries is relatively smaller in scale in comparison to the Teesta. This agreement however triggered concerns about climate change. The changed discourse on the river might also trigger migration which might pose a displacement issue for the countries. Some water experts have argued that in future, it might lead to similar challenges to the climate crisis.
India Bangladesh Bilateral Ties
India was officially the first country to recognize Bangladesh as a separate and independent state and established diplomatic relations with the country immediately after its independence in December 1971. Bangladesh occupies a key place in India’s ‘Neighborhood First policy. They both share economic, cultural, social and military ties.
After his talks with PM Hasina, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is the largest market in Asia for Bangladeshi goods and that is why both countries will now have a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
He also remarked that in contemporary times, India is the largest market in Asia for Bangladesh’s exports and they will soon start discussions on the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which will further accelerate the economic growth.
Both the counterparts also virtually inaugurated the 1,320 MW (660×2 MW) Maitree super thermal power project at Rampal in Bangladesh’s Khulna and four other projects, including a rail bridge on Rupsa River and Khulna-Darsana and Parbatipur-Kaunia rail link projects.
Conclusion
India and Bangladesh have resolved many outstanding issues in the past which reflects their spirit of friendship and cooperation. The bilateral talks that followed between the two issues like nuclear energy collaborations, terrorism, and flood mitigation were also discussed.
Written by Chitra Gangwani
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