The new Tarique Rahman government of Bangladesh has announced that it will commence work on the Teesta and Padma Barrage projects. Following this announcement, while China stands to gain significantly, this news is nothing short of a major blow for India. This is because Bangladesh will seek China’s assistance for this barrage project. Now you might be wondering how this will harm India. In fact, this announcement comes at a time when
Tarique Rahman is about to embark on a visit to China, and it is now believed that China will play a major financial role in this project. The story of this project is not just limited to water and farming but goes far beyond that. After laying the foundation stone for the building of the National Disaster Management Research and Training Institute in Gazipur near Dhaka, Rahman said, “I want to make it clear that the BNP government will soon start work on the Padma Barrage and Teesta Barrage.”
According to a report by the Dhaka Tribune, Tarique Rahman stated that if anyone worked and prepared the ground on the Teesta issue, it was the BNP, meaning the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Rahman mentioned that the government has already decided to build a barrage on the Padma River, especially in Rajshahi. He said that Bangladesh receives less water during the dry season. “We want to build this barrage so that farmers and ordinary people can get water on time during both the monsoon and dry seasons,” he added.
Now understand what Tarique Rahman said regarding India. In fact, while mentioning the Farakka Barrage in India, Tarique Rahman claimed that because of it, saline seawater is entering southern Bangladesh. He said that salinity is increasing, due to which vegetation in several areas, including the Sundarbans, is getting damaged and animals are on the verge of extinction. Tarique Rahman argues that it is highly essential to build a barrage to store the excess monsoon water and utilize it during the dry season. Now also understand why this decision is dangerous for India. Actually, the dispute over river water sharing between India and Bangladesh is many years old. Furthermore, the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty is ending this year, and talks on a new agreement are underway.
Meanwhile, the Teesta water-sharing agreement has been stalled for years. According to reports, despite an understanding between the two countries, it could not be signed due to opposition from West Bengal. But now, the major issue is that India’s concern is not just limited to water sharing. The Teesta River region lies close to India’s strategically highly sensitive Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken’s Neck. This is the very narrow corridor that connects India’s northeastern states with the rest of the country. If Chinese companies and engineers play a major role in this project, India will view it not just as an infrastructure project but from a strategic perspective, which could prove to be a major threat to India’s future. Consequently, India will now have to exercise immense caution. That is all for this video for now, please allow us to take your leave. Namaskar.
