River Teesta or Tista is said to be the lifeline of the Indian state of Sikkim, flowing for almost the entire

length of the state and carving out verdant Himalayan temperate and tropical river valleys. The emerald colored river then forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal before joining the Brahmaputra as a tributary in Bangladesh. The total length of the river is 315 kilometers (196 mi). The river originates from Tso Lhamo Lake in North Sikkim at an elevation of 5,330 m (17,487 ft) above sea level in the Himalayas . The river hits the plains at Sevoke, at a distance of 22 Km from Siliguri, where it is spanned by the Coronation Bridge which links the north-east states to the rest of India. The river courses its way to Jalpaiguri and then to Rangpur District of Bangladesh, before finally merging with the mighty Brahmaputra at Fulchori. Under a 1983 understanding, Bangladesh is supposed to get 36 per cent share of the flow and India 39 per cent allowing the rest of the water flow naturally. Contract Background: The two countries share 54 rivers. The river commissions have been trying to resolve the problem over sharing water of these rivers. Last Year Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India. In this tour high level meeting held with Prime minister and respected authorities of India and Bangladesh. According to the meeting they disclosed 50 step manifestoes. One of the key agreements is Teesta water sharing pact. In March 2010, The India-Bangladesh 37th ministerial-level Joint River Commission meeting was held. Bangladesh Water Resources Secretary Sheikh M. Wahiduzzaman, who leads the home side, said the sharing of the waters of the Teesta and the construction of embankments were on the agenda of the two-day discussion. The Indian team is led by Water Resources Secretary U.N. Panjiar. Even though it has never been officially declared how the water would be shared, a number of officials on condition of anonymity said India would get slightly bigger share of Teesta water than Bangladesh. Shib Shankar Menon, Indian national security adviser, had said India would get 75 percent of the Teesta water. Even if the talks fail to arrive at a full-fledged agreement. Bangladesh and India are going to share the water of the Teesta, by observing flow of Teesta water at Gazoldoba barrage point, 25 kilometers from Siliguri in North Bengal. A 15-year interim deal with 52-48 [52 percent for India and 48 percent for Bangladesh] water sharing will be signed keeping 20% (460 CUSEC) of the water for the river," said a member of the Bangladesh

delegation in the Joint River Commission. However, Moshiur Rahman, adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, that experts are yet to know the volume of water of the Teesta. "So, we will measure the volume of the water in the next 17 years. Later, we will go for a permanent treaty," said Moshiur. He said they are not discussing about the quantity of the water. They are talking about how much of the total available water would be shareable. A long-term deal will be signed later on after observing the flow of water," the member said. It is important to note that the agricultural production in Bangladesh has been severely hampered by the diversion of Ganges River water at the Farraka barrage in India though there was an agreement. So, Bangladeshi intellectual and political leaders said that, Teesta contract should be formed not only as an agreement but also it requires guarantee clause. This agreement on Teesta River water-sharing is expected to be signed when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Dhaka. Socio-Economic impact: The Teesta River enters Bangladesh near Nilphamari district and courses 45 kilometres through the rice predominant districts of Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha before meeting the Brahmaputra River in Kurigram. It provides key support to agricultural production in the northwest region of Bangladesh. The Teesta River Floodplain (TRF), which includes the extreme northwest region of the country, accounted for 14 percent of the total cropped area in 2001. In addition, it supported around 8.5 percent of the total population in the country. Around 63 percent of the total cropped area in the region is irrigated, indicating a direct association between irrigation water availability and agricultural land use. At present, the TRF along with the region left of the Ganges River is considered to be a dry zone. The TRF is largely dependent on transboundary river inflow for the supply and management of its water resources and agricultural production. The Teesta River barrage at Gozaldoba in India controls the amount of water flow downstream to Bangladesh. In order to increase the irrigation potential of the northwest region, Bangladesh constructed the Dalia barrage on the Teesta River in Lalmonirhat district to provide irrigation water from the river through a canal network. In the dry season, the exclusive control of the river water at Gazoldoba renders the Dalia Barrage almost useless for diversion of water due to low flows. Moreover, sudden release of excessive water through

the Gazoldoba Barrage during the rainy season causes floods, bank erosion and damages huge amounts of crops downstream. During dry season, the river faces water crunch as India has constructed Gozaldoba Barrage in the upstream and diverts water from the river that enters Bangladesh's greater Rangpur region. Bangladesh's Teesta barrage (first phase) in the downstream covers irrigation projects on 7,50000 hectares of land, as per the Water Development Board. India and Bangladesh have been trying to resolve the question of sharing the water from the River Teesta for nearly two decades. Bangladesh is dependent on water from the Teesta, especially during the dry season between December and March. At times in December and January, the flow falls from 141 cubic metres per second to less than 28 cubic metres per second, due to withdrawals by India. India has been using treated Teesta water to supply nearby localities with Bangladeshs consent, but it is time for the arrangement to be formalised. Talks between the Bangladeshi and Indian Foreign Secretaries earlier in June appeared constructive, with both sides expressing optimism about the progress made. The draft interim sharing arrangement is proposed to last for 15 years. What happened really? A warm welcome awaits Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who flies into Dhaka this forenoon on a two-day visit aimed at giving a new impetus to the bumpy relations between the two neighbors. Mamata and chief ministers of four Indian states bordering Bangladesh will accompany Manmohan during his Dhaka visit. Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee has expressed unwillingness to accompany Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Bangladesh, during his September 6-8 tour. Which is why Teesta river water sharing agreement has overshadowed the accords of significant economic impact made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his visit to Bangladesh. Bangladesh, however, played down the uncertainty over the deal, citing that no official communication was made by India. Dhaka held on to the hopes given earlier by New Delhi, turning a blind eye to the headlines made by Mamata across the border yesterday. Then hours before Manmohan's arrival

in Dhaka, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes summoned Indian High Commissioner Rajeet Mitter to the foreign Office demanding an explanation why New Delhi backed out from an earlier commitment to sign the Teesta accord. As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to accompany the prime minister to Dhaka to protest the final draft of the Teesta river water sharing agreement with Bangladesh. There will be no agreement on the sharing of the Teesta river waters without the consultation of the West Bengal government, foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai said on Monday, a day ahead of prime minister Manmohan Singh's two-day visit to Dhaka. This came as an embarrassment for Manmohan and wasted the lastmoment shuttle diplomacy conducted by Indian PM's National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon to persuade Bangladesh to agree to a Teesta water deal after reportedly giving it a fair share. After the bad news about Teesta reached Dhaka through Indian media, top government leaders huddled with the prime minister in emergency consultations at the Ganobhaban. Coming out of the meeting, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said, Till now we know the agreement on sharing of the Teesta water will be signed. "We are in constant touch with the Indian side. We have not received any formal statement from Indian government that the Teesta agreement is not going to be signed." Why Mamata Banerjee Disagrees: The West bangle state government had agreed on sharing of up to 25,000 cusecs. But the final version talks of sharing 33,000-50,000 cusecs [cubic feet per second]. There was difference between the initial draft of the agreement and the final version. Bangladesh Decision: The policymaker in Bangladesh has also taken final decision in refraining from signing any treaty with India in connection to according it "transit" facilities. Reaction: Several Political leders criticize mamatas decision. Congress Leders also dishearted with this decision. Politicians and Bangladeshi reports have expressed their criticism against her for taking backseat in the run-up. A

former Indian foreign secretary has described what happened in Dhaka was rare, if not unprecedented, in Indian history for such a lack of cohesion to be played out in the international spotlight, leading to a loss of face for the Indian Prime Minister personally and the Indian government in general. The retired foreign secretary and former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, Krishnan Srinivasan, were critical of the whole development that unfolded in Dhaka during the last two days visit of the Indian Prime Minister. He observed that the episode was a national embarrassment and the Prime Minister of India was humiliated. Its naive to believe Mamata was unaware of the deal he said. It needs to be explained why she made no enquiries about it earlier. Why the contract fails: Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjees unwillingness is the first reason but its only one of reasons. After becoming prime minister, Mamata banerjee was not informed about this contract. This contract was discussed with bamfront Govt. before discussion with Paschimbanga Govt. and central govt. makes decision of final contract without letting Paschimbanga govt. know about changes (Increasing the proportion of water share for Bangladesh from 25,000 cusecs to 50,000 cusecs) of contract. Which shows complication and gap between Indias central govt. and state govt. Also Indias Prime Ministers consideration of Joint politics is a big reason. Mamata Banerjee wanted to make northbangla a prosperous state. For industrial and agricultural purpose, water is a must need and Teesta is the life line of this state, which makes Mamata to disagree with interiam deal with Bangladesh. Also Lack of Bangladeshi diplomatists experience, coordination, communication and exposure of Dhaka bankrupt diplomacy lead to this situation. Some respective authorities and ex-diplomats think that it could be Indias internal diplomatic strategy beyond this contract was stalled. Conclusion: Several agreements are on the cards but the key one Teesta water pacts were not being signed. But despite the fact this wrinkle has appear the very last moment in the road map of relationship between India and Bangladesh, both side sound very positive.

6 sep. - Indian envoy Rajeev Mitter said as soon as the internal discussions were over in India, the deal would be signed. 9 sep. - Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes said they (India) are committed to sign the agreement and we are hopeful of a signing within the next few months," he said, adding that the prime minister said it will be signed in the next three months. 11 Sep. - Foreign minister Dipu Moni has said the government will "soon" sign the deal over which Bangladesh has the largest irrigation project. The minister said the agreement would be inked as soon as joint hydrological observation team, comprising experts from Bangladesh and India, prepared the draft on water availability and other related issues. "We need more time and need to sit with both West Bengal government and Bangladesh to arrive at an acceptable agreement," highly-placed Indian sources told journalists. Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram also agrees with this. 21 sep. Sheik Hasina said she was not disappointed that the two sides could not sign the Teesta water sharing deal during the visit. "I am not that much disappointed because I feel we can solve this problem (Teesta water sharing) bilaterally and I am very much optimistic about it," who is here to attend the 66th UN General Assembly, said at the Asia Society. Recommendation: Water-related disputes are likely to surface frequently unless steps are taken to prevent such water-related issues. Any form of conflict over water resources will only lead to waste of time and resources further exacerbating socio-economic problems in both the countries. India and Bangladesh must undertake appropriate joint initiatives to build reservoirs upstream of the Teesta River in India and within Bangladesh to store the excessive water during the rainy season for utilization during the dry season. An integrated flood management program has to be planned and implemented during the rainy season and summer months when there is a higher frequency of normal and flash floods. Steps therefore, need to be taken to examine the water flow at both Gozaldoba and Dalia points in order to manage high and low season water flows and minimize the economic losses.