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Tipaimukh
Dam and Bangladesh
Harun
ur Rashid
Interfrence with normal
flow of water of a national river has always been seen as
troublesome for a government. There are examples both in
India and Pakistan where states/ provinces reject plan of
dams on a common river by the federal/central government.
It becomes an inter-state
dispute when such interference has impact on a neghbouring
country. Not only rules of international law but also good
will towards a neighbour are at stake. That is why empirical
evidence suggests that a country who plans to interfere
with the traditional flow of river, whatever its purpose,
should discuss the issue with a neighbouring country prior
to its action.
Against this background,
the proposed construction of the Tipaimukh Dam has naturally
emerged as another prickly thorn in Indo-Bangladesh relations.
It is not understood why India has allowed this controversial
dam to be built without disclosing the layout of the dam
with Bangladesh.
It is reported that India
(North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd.) has floated
an international tender for the construction of dam on the
Barak river in Manipur state for generating 1500MW electricity
at the cost of Indian Rs.6,000 crore.
Why
Bangladesh is involved?
If the dam would have been built deep inside India's south,
Bangladesh would have nothing to say in the matter, but
the proposed dam is only 100 km away from Bangladesh border
and even at the construction phase will have an impact on
Bangladesh, let alone after its completion.
Although the dam is designed
to generate electricity and not to divert water from the
river, the fact is that India by constructing it is to change
or modify the traditional flow and use of the Barak river,
that constitutes the source of two rivers, Surma and Kushiara,
in Sylhet, which in turn feed the mighty Meghna river of
Bangladesh.
The anxiety for Bangladesh is that India has not taken Bangladesh
into confidence on the details of the dam and therefore
Bangladesh cannot properly assess as to how the dam will
affect Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is hurt that
India fails to understand and respect the sensitivity of
a small neighbour by constructing unilaterally the proposed
dam, violating its obligation towards Bangladesh under rules
of international law and contrary to good neighbourly relations.
Tipaimukh
Dam and its effects on Bangladesh
The use of water of rivers is of two kinds: (a) non-consumptive
and (b) consumptive. Non-consumptive use does not reduce
the flow of water of the river, while consumptive use reduces
it. For example, dam for hydro-electric power (Kaptai Dam)
may be called non-consumptive use, while diversion of water
through barrage and feeder canal (Farakka Barrage) is for
consumptive use.
Although Tipaimukh Dam
may not reduce water, it certainly changes the traditional
flow of water that has been running since time immemorial..
The change of river flow of water through construction of
a dam would have many ramifications on the lower riparian
country, Bangladesh.
The adverse effects of
the Tipaimukh hydro-electric dam could be several and some
of them deserve mention below:
First,
the days of construction of huge hydro-electric dam have
gone because some the big dams constructed in the 50s and
60s have deleterious effects on environment. The World Bank
does not favour any more construction of dams due to their
mass environmental vandalism. The Aswan Dam (1964) has caused
ground water level to rise with increased salinity, destroying
Egyptian antiquities. The consequences of the change of
the normal annual flow of the river due to the Tipaimukh
storage dam are not known from environmental point of view.
Second,
uncertainty of the structure of the dam or collapse of the
dam from earthquake or any natural calamity (northeastern
Indian states are believed to fall on fault lines), causing
release of storage water will have unknown adverse impact
on Bangladesh, including severe flooding of lands of millions
of people in Bangladesh.
Third,
the quantity of release of water from the dam by India to
Bangladesh is not known. The change of quality and normal
flow of water will affect cultivation of crops. No one knows
how it affects wetlands in Sylhet district.
Fourth,
major rivers including the Padma, Teesta, Brahmaputra and
their tributaries are reportedly drying up in Bangladesh
due to continuous withdrawal of waters of common rivers
in the upstream through India's various dams and river construction
work. Another huge dam certainly poses a threat to Bangladesh.
Finally,
the dam will have adverse effect on Bangladesh's economy.
As a regional power, India has certain responsibilities
to its neighbours. It is not understood as to why India
ignores such responsibilities at a time when regional economic
cooperation under Safta is being enhanced and consolidated.
There is a perception in Bangladesh that India does not
care for people of Bangladesh.
Last December, at the
International Tipaimukh Dam Conference (ITDC-2005) in Dhaka,
participants from Assam and Manipur stated that the dam
would affect livelihood of 73 villages on the Indian side
alone, of which 15 would be inundated. An Indian activist,
Rabindranath said Tipaimukh Dam would turn hundreds of indigenous
people in Manipur into beggars. Devabrata Roy of Manipur
said that the dam had the potential of inflicting a "cultural
genocide" on indigenous people. He also said that tons
of rocks and mud rolling down from Tipaimukh Dam construction
site would choke rivers of Bangladesh.
Broader
picture
The construction of Tipaimukh Dam cannot be isolated from
the broader picture of Indo-Bangladesh relations. Currently
the state of bilateral relations is not at its best. India
perceives Bangladesh uncooperative and inward-looking, while
Bangladesh thinks India uninterested and obstructive.
Pending bilateral issues,
such as ensuring peaceful border, border fencing, illegal
movement of people, non-implementation of the 1974 Mujib-Gandhi
Agreement including the non-exchange of enclaves with each
other, unresolved sea boundary, dispute over the ownership
of Talpatty Island and huge trade deficit with India, cast
a shadow on bilateral relations and the proposed dam further
adds complication of the state of bilateral relations
The proposed construction of dam without the input of Bangladesh
seems to confirm the perception of India's gross insensitivity
to interests of Bangladesh. Perception of people matters
most in bilateral relations.
Conclusion
Some say that the power and strength of a big neighbour
is like beauty; if you have it you don't need to go around
saying it. India does not need to show its power and strength
to Bangladesh in building the dam without any consultation
with it. Bangladesh is disappointed with the unilateral
construction of the Tipaimukh Dam as it appears to unnecessarily
twist the arms of Bangladesh.
Trust and mutual respect
for each other constitute the edifice of long term good
relations. The relationship needs constant nurturing and
care. The bottom line is while Bangladesh does not compete
with India, it does not appreciate being pushed around by
a big neighbour.
Barrister
Harun uir Rashid is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the
UN, Geneva.
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