Bangladesh will raise the Teesta water sharing issue along with other issues of mutual interest during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s planned bilateral meeting with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi next week.    “We have the issue of Teesta water sharing that the Prime Minister will certainly raise. We have other issues. We have 54 common rivers,” Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen told reporters on Sunday, adding that the Ganges water treaty is another issue which will expire soon. Read: Dhaka keen to avail regional opportunities for security, connectivity The Bangladesh-India Ganges water-sharing deal was signed in 1996 after long negotiations. The 30-year deal will expire by 2026. Responding to a question, the Foreign Secretary said Bangladesh and India had always discussed the Teesta issue at the highest political level. “We always kept it on the discussion agenda. This time too, we expect the Prime Minister will talk about it.” Bangladesh thinks the water-sharing issues between the two countries would be resolved through discussions as the two countries are “mentally agreed” to work on the basis of mutual understanding. Read: FM Momen discusses trade, investment issues with US Bangladesh Business Council leaders Recalling earlier discussions, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated Bangladesh’s long pending request for concluding the interim agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Teesta River, the draft of which was finalized in 2011. During PM Hasina’s state visit to India in September last year, both leaders also directed the officials to work together to address issues such as pollution in rivers and to improve riverine environment and river navigability in respect of common rivers. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s participation at the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 will add yet another feather to the ‘Golden Chapter’ in Dhaka-Delhi ties. Read: Positive momentum, energy fueling Bangladesh economy: USBBC President  The bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Hasina and her Indian counterpart Modi is likely to be held on September 8. Follow-up Discussion on Water Issues Earlier, the Foreign Secretary attended a follow-up discussion on Bangladesh’s 10 commitments made at the 2023 UN water Conference. Talking to reporters, he said they mainly discussed how to implement those commitments and how the development partners can help Bangladesh in this process. The Foreign Secretary said most of the commitments will be fulfilled by 2030 and many countries of the world made their commitments separately.  The UN 2023 Water Conference saw the adoption of the Water Action Agenda, representing voluntary commitments of nations and stakeholders to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets connected to water. The event brought together over 6,500 participants. By the close of the meeting, the Water Action Agenda had received approximately 700 commitments in the form of financial pledges, collaborative projects, and actions to protect the world’s most precious and irreplaceable resource. The Foreign Secretary said water is an important factor for livelihood and sustainability and they discussed issues related to coastal area, salinity problems, ground water level declining, plastic pollution, agriculture water wastages, rain water harvesting and ways to boost efficiency in water management. He said there are reasons to be worried after a few years and laid emphasis on international cooperation and resource mobilization. The UN says water is a dealmaker for the Sustainable Development Goals, and for the health and prosperity of people and the planet. But, the UN added, progress on water related goals and targets remains alarmingly off track, jeopardizing the entire sustainable development agenda.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said Bangladesh is observing the situation and verifying the media reports of India's plan to withdraw water from the River Teesta for hydropower and irrigation projects in West Bengal. "The water resources ministry and Joint River Commission (JRC) are readying a paper, and we will seek to know the facts from India. Then we shall take necessary measures," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told journalists at the weekly media briefing at the ministry. Indian newspaper The Telegraph last week reported that the West Bengal government decided to set up three hydropower plants in Darjeeling, and two of them are likely to reduce the volume of water in the Teesta. It also reported that the West Bengal government acquired 1,000 acres to dig two canals and divert more water from the river to irrigate farms in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts. Teesta water is crucial for irrigation in the northern part of Bangladesh, especially during the lean period between December and April. Seheli said the life and livelihood of the people in a large part of Bangladesh depend on the Teesta water. So, Bangladesh has been trying to ink a water-sharing deal with India for many years, she added. In 2011, the two neighbours finalised the Teesta water-sharing agreement but it was not signed due to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's opposition during the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Dhaka visit. Read more: Implement the Teesta Project with cooperation of China: Intl Farakka Committee Seheli said considering Bangladesh and India's "excellent relationship," Bangladesh will continue to work to resolve the issue through dialogue. Meanwhile, State Minister for Water Resources Zaheed Farooque said India-Bangladesh JRC members in Bangladesh already prepared a letter that would be sent to India soon to officially learn the facts about the reported plan of diverting water from Teesta by the West Bengal government. "We have learnt about the plan of digging canals and withdrawing water. We want them [India] to officially tell us the facts. Then we will be confirmed if India is withdrawing water or not," he told journalists at the foreign ministry after a stakeholders' consultation on the UN Water Conference to be held in New York on March 22-24.   He said the letter has already been drafted and he will sign it at the soonest. Farooque said he is expecting a JRC meeting before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's New Delhi visit in September. Regarding the Water Conference that will also be attended by Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Farooque, Seheli said they will highlight Bangladesh's rights of having water as a lower riparian country as well as the impacts of climate change and seek the support of the international community. "Bangladesh will highlight the basin-wide water management of the international rivers. It will focus that proper water management will be a major determinant of regional and international cooperation, peace and security," she added. Read more: People living in fear as Teesta flowing above danger level in Lalmonirhat

International affairs expert Dr Imtiaz Ahmed has said there is still room for cooperation on Teesta River water allocation and it cannot be resulted in a zero-sum game. "The solution should come keeping in mind the human and nature-based perspective," said the professor at the Department of International Relations, Dhaka University on Saturday. He said this while delivering his speech on the last day of the three-day virtual 7th International Water Conference titled ‘Teesta River Basin: Overcoming the Challenges’ organised by ActionAid Bangladesh.  READ: Annual hydrological assessment needed to resolve Teesta water sharing: Ainun Nishat Dr Imtiaz said it is time to come out from an engineering perspective in river water governance.   Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh said people live with rivers, but they were not included in river-related discourse. The idea for establishing a Water Museum in Kalapara, Patuakhali came from the inclusion of community people in the discourse and the first-ever community-based Water Museum in South Asia was established in 2014 by ActionAid Bangladesh, she said.   The Water Museum now has become a hub for idea generation, voice of river-based grassroots people, educational platform, and networking with global water museums, said Farah Kabir.  Dr Eriberto Eulisse, Executive Director of the Global Network of Water Museums, said the Teesta River is a symbol of changes like other rivers. "Cooperation and good practices are needed to resolve any kind of water-related resources dispute.”  While developing any water museum, he said, they should not only keep in mind about the infrastructural development but also on the cultural landscape. Former Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said in the ‘negotiative’ world, they can find a better way of collaboration regarding the Teesta water allocation. “There’s need to have more interactions between the international stakeholders, people and the political leaders. Narratives also should be different considering climate change,” he added.  Shahidul Haque laid emphasis on a change in mindset and framing of policymakers from a broader people-centric frame rather than government-centric frame.  Rahima Sultana Kajal, Executive Director, Association of Voluntary Actions for Society (AVAS), and Member of General Assembly ActionAid International Bangladesh Society in her presentation showed how Water Museum in Kalapura, Patuakhali, established by ActionAid Bangladeshis working as a medium of upholding right of the marginal people.  READ: Hasina seeks fair share of Teesta water “River-centric civilisation is being jeopardised as a result of obstructing the flow of rivers.  Due to the so-called development, river water is not being distributed evenly which has resulted in shortage of usable water. The existing laws on river water usage are not being properly enforced,” said Rahima Sultana Kajal. Dr Shashwata Bhattacharjee, Head, Bangla Department Kaunia College, said if the river dies, the community people's lives centering the river also die. "If that community 's life is detached from the river-centered livelihood, then the thousand-year-old cherished culture is also ruined." Ajaya Dixit, Advisor, ISET-Nepal ; Dr. Sara Ahmed, Adjunct Professor, Centre for Water Research, IISER-Pune (Indian Institute for Science Education and Research), Founder-Director, Living Waters Museum, Shamim Arfeen, Executive Director, AOSED also discussed in the last day of the water conference.  

The Water Development Board (WDB) has issued a red alert in the Teesta Basin after the river swelled above danger level due to onrush of water from upstream. Teesta crossed 60 cm above danger level since Wednesday afternoon due to the onrush of hill water and heavy rainfall upstream in India. The authorities in Bangladesh have ordered an evacuation of the people living in villages along the river’s banks. Extreme panic is prevailing among the residents of Teesta bank due to the sudden rise of Teesta water. In addition, flood fuses on the north side of the Teesta Barrage are reported to be under threat of getting damaged. Due to the rise in Teesta, 15 villages of Purba Chhatnai, Tapa Kharibari, Khagakharibari, Khalisha Chapani, Jhunagach Chapani and Gayabari Union of Dimla upazila of Nilphamari and six villages of sandbar of Jaldhaka upazila have been flooded. The residents of those areas have evacuated to safer places, said the people's representatives of those unions. Hundreds of hectares of crop land have been inundated. READ: Teesta flowing above danger level, 44 barrage gates opened Abdul Latif Khan, Purbachhatnai UP chairman of Dimla upazila in Nilphamari, said the right bank of the Teesta at Zero Point in the area and the Groen dam is under threat of getting damaged. Water is flowing especially over the Groen dam. If the Groen collapses, hundreds of houses in the area, including the dam on the right bank of the Teesta, will be washed away by the Teesta River. Tepakharibari UP chairman Moinul Haque said the Teesta Bazar, Telirbazar, Dolapara and Charkharibari areas have already been submerged. All crop lands in the sandbars are under water. In Lalmonirhat, the Barakhata to Hatibandha bypass road has collapsed at various places due to sudden rise in water level of Teesta river. As a result, thousands of families in this union have been marooned. Thousands of acres of crop land on the banks of Teesta in five upazilas of Lalmonirhat district have been submerged in water. Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Abu Jafar said he has instructed the union chairmen and UNOs to look over the flood situation in these areas. The Teesta river was flowing 52.70 cm above the danger level at Dalia point on Tuesday night while it was flowing 60 cm above the danger level around 10 am on Wednesday. This is due to the onrush of hill water and heavy rainfall, according to Board officials. READ: Teesta turns turbulent in Kurigram; leaves 100 families homeless The low-lying areas of Dahgram in Patgram upazila, Gaddimari, Singamari, Sinduna, Patikapara, Dauabari in Hatibandha upazila and Bhotmari, Soilmari, Nohli, Char Boirati in Kaliganj upazilas of Lalmonirhat district have been flooded, affecting some 10,000 families. Asfaudoula, executive engineer of the Water Development Board at Dalia point, said  “The Teesta water is flowing 60 cm above its danger mark and the authorities concerned have opened all the 44 gates of the barrage.” Besides, the residents along the river have been asked to take shelter in safer places issuing red alert.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday reiterated Bangladesh’s long-pending request for concluding the interim agreement on the sharing of water of the Teesta River with Bangladesh's fair share to alleviate sufferings of millions. It is necessary that Bangladesh receives its fair share of the Teesta water, the draft agreement of which has already been agreed upon by both governments in January 2011 to alleviate the sufferings and save the livelihoods of millions of people dependent on the Teesta River basin, she underscored.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s sincere commitment and continued efforts to conclude this agreement, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. “There’s positive approach (from Indian side) but a date has not been fixed when it will be delivered. They can’t spell out that it’ll happen within a week,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters at a briefing at Sonargaon Hotel.

India will take some decisions, including implementation of Teesta water-sharing treaty, after elections in its West Bengal and Assam states.

Bangladesh has emphasised signing of interim water sharing agreement of the Teesta River as agreed by Bangladesh and India in 2011.

Water level of the Teesta River in Nilphamari is flowing above the  danger level following heavy rainfall and onrush water from upstream.

Visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday said Bangladesh and India are working to finalise an agreement on water sharing of seven common rivers within this year.