[Assam] FW: [WaterWatch] Is India a victim of its own policy?

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To: waterwatch at yahoogroups.comFrom: zakir.kibria at gmail.comDate: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:34:41 +0600Subject: [WaterWatch] Is India a victim of its own policy?




Is India a victim of its own policy?Harun ur Rashid, The Daily Star, August 14, 2007http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/08/14/d70814020334.htmUnilateral water diversion, or withdrawal of water from internationalor common rivers, has been the long-standing policy of India. Indiabothered little about the concerns of a lower riparian country, suchas Bangladesh, in diverting water from common rivers.In 1896, the "Harmon Doctrine" was propounded by the US AttorneyGeneral Judson Harmon, claiming that Mexico was not entitled to thewater from an international river, the Rio Grande.The doctrine emphasised territorial sovereignty over an internationalriver. It means that, within its territory, a state can do whatever itwishes with the water of an international river, and does not need tobother about the consequences of its withdrawal on a lower ripariannation.India argued in favour of the Harmon Doctrine in the mid-70s withBangladesh (I was Director General of South Asia), though the USitself had discarded and discredited it in 1906 when it concluded atreaty with Mexico relating to sharing of water of the Rio Grande.When India argued the relevance of the Harmon Doctrine in the '70s,Bangladesh counter-argued that the "Helsinki Principles", which wouldentitle a co-riparian of a reasonable and equitable share of water ofan international/common river or drainage basin, had replaced it in1966.Use of river waterThe use of river water is of two types -- non-consumptive andconsumptive. Navigation is a non-consumptive use of water becauseriver water is not depleted or reduced through navigation. Consumptiveuse of water consists of withdrawing water for agricultural and otherpurposes. Consumptive use always reduces the water in rivers.A river knows no political boundaries between countries. It flows asan indivisible unit, and if it is interfered with at the upper stream,the lower riparian country will be affected. That is why internationallaw recognizes the right of each riparian country to enjoy all theadvantages deriving from river waters for the welfare and economicprosperity of its people.At least 56 rivers flow from India into Bangladesh. The largest ofthem, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna (GBM), flow throughBangladesh until they meet the Bay of Bengal, creating one of thebiggest deltas in the world. It is estimated that 25,000 square mileswithin Bangladesh can be designated as a delta, an area equal toBelgium and the Netherlands together.Bangladesh is a land of rivers, and swimming has been the birth-rightof all Bangladeshi children. Rivers have been the lifeline of thepeople of Bangladesh, although in the monsoon season they often causefloods. Without monsoon rain and the rivers, Bangladesh's environment,and its cultural tradition, music, and folk tales based on rivers,will die.Agriculture is the backbone of the country, and 76% of the people livein villages. Water plays the most vital role in the country's economy.85% percent of the water comes from the Ganges and the Brahmaputraduring the dry season (November to May).Millions of people are directly or indirectly dependent on river waterfor their livelihood. Water is vital for agriculture, fishery, and theflora and fauna, and constitutes an indivisible part of people'slives.Depletion of water in rivers puts Bangladesh in a very criticalsituation, especially in navigation, agriculture, and way of life.Farmers, fishermen, and the forests, are all adversely affected bydepletion of water in rivers.Water dispute and BangladeshThe unilateral withdrawal of water from the upper reaches by India hasbeen a concern for Bangladesh. If India withdraws water heavily fromcommon or international rivers, such as the Ganges and theBrahmaputra, there will be less available in Bangladesh. This isobvious.The water dispute with India has been going on since the birth ofBangladesh. It started with India's ill-conceived Farakka Barrage onthe Ganges (11 miles from Bangladesh's border), for diverting waterfrom the Hoogly river for flushing silt, not for agriculture.India's pre-occupation has been how to divert water from common riverswithout sharing information, or consulting, with Bangladesh. Forexample, information regarding the storage of water of the Barakriver, by building the 1,500 MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric dam, has yetto be shared with Bangladesh.India has embarked on constructing dams on, and diverting water from,many common rivers, such as the Teesta, the Gumti, and the Khowai,without any agreement with Bangladesh. India had reportedly blocked-ofstreams (such as Muhuri, Chagalnaiya, Fulchari, Kachua and manyothers) flowing into Bangladesh from Tripura. As a result, as of 1979,eight chars (islets) were detected in the tributaries of Muhuri andKahua, and they have blocked water flow in Bangladesh.Since these rivers are in India, it did not care to discuss, consult,or come to an agreement with Bangladesh on the blockage or diversionor consumptive use of the water, although a Joint River Commission hadbeen formed in 1972.China's proposed diversion of waterAccording to a report by an Indian writer, China is attempting to damor redirect the southward flow of water from the Tibetan plateau, thestarting point of many rivers, such as the Indus, the Mekong, theYangtze, the Yellow, the Salween, the Brahmaputra, the Karnali and theSutlej.According to the same writer, China's intensive farming needs water,and it is increasingly turning its attention to the water reserves ofthe Tibetan plateau. China is presently toying with massiveinter-basin and inter-river water transfer projects.Furthermore, several Chinese projects in west-central Tibet have abearing on river-water flow into India, but China refuses to shareinformation with India. The same tactics India adopted with Bangladeshare now likely to bite India.The writer also pointed out two Chinese projects that might affectIndia adversely. One is the proposed Great South-North Water Transferproject for diverting Tibetan water, and the first phase calls forbuilding 300-kilometres of tunnels and channels to draw water from theJingsha, the Yalong and the Dadu rivers on the eastern rim of theTibetan plateau.The second phase of the project is more damaging, because it proposesto re-route the Brahmaputra river northward. In fact, the writerpoints out that China has identified the bend where the Brahmaputraenters India.India does not seem to have considered that the Chinese water expertsand hydrologists may have acquired the technology by which the Tibetanplateau waters could be re-routed northward towards China.Now India has woken up. China is reportedly doing the same thing thatIndia did with its rivers in relation to Bangladesh. China does notfind it necessary to consult, discuss, and sit down with India aboutthe proposed diversion of waters from the Tibetan Plateau. Therecannot be one rule for India and China, and another for India andBangladesh.There is another, wider, dimension on availability of fresh water. Theincreased demand for fresh water has prompted the construction of damsand barrages on international rivers, and it is reported that 60% ofthe world's largest rivers have been interrupted by the artificialstructures. Many of them were built in agreement with ripariancountries, and about 200 treaties are now in force for the managementof common water resources.Fresh water is getting scarce according to a Unesco study. The averagesupply of water is expected to drop by one-third within 20 years.Unesco points out that up to 7 billion people could face watershortages by 2020, and global warming may cause severe water shortagesin 50 countries. South Asia is one of the regions to be adverselyaffected, partly because of melting of the Himalayan glaciers due toglobal warming.Water experts believe that water disputes on intra-state andinter-state level may increase in future. It is the potentialinter-state conflict over river water resources that may be of greaterconcern.Barrister Harun ur Rashid is former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.-- zakir kibriaExecutive Director, BanglaPraxisand Co-ordinator, Solidarity Workshop__._,_.___ 
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