Incessant monsoon rains and overflowing rivers in Bangladesh have caused devastating floods across the country. The death toll from the floods has risen to 23 and more than 12.4 lakh families are stranded in 11 districts of the country. 57 lakh people are isolated and are in urgent need of food, clean water, medicine and dry clothing.
At such a time, reports in Bangladesh claimed that the floods were partly caused by the opening of the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal, prompting the Indian government to fact-check it.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday rejected all reports linking the floods in Bangladesh to the opening of the gates of the Farakka Barrage in India and termed such reports as “fake”.
“We have seen fake videos, rumours and fear-mongering being used to create misconceptions. This must be strongly countered with facts,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
He said relevant data is shared “regularly and timely” with the concerned Joint River Commission officials in Bangladesh, and the same was done this time too.
Mr Jaiswal said, “We have seen media reports about opening of gates of Farakka Barrage which will allow more than 11 lakh cusecs of water to flow downstream through its natural course into Ganga/Padma river.”
“This is a normal seasonal phenomenon caused by increased runoff from heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the Ganga river basin,” he said.
Elaborating, Mr Jaiswal said, “It has to be understood that Farakka is only a barrage, not a dam. Whenever the water level reaches the pond level, whatever water comes in, it goes out. It is only a structure to divert 40,000 cusecs of water into the Farakka Canal, which is done carefully using a system of gates on the main Ganga/Padma river, while the rest of the water flows into the main river and goes to Bangladesh.”
What is Farakka Barrage?
The Farakka Barrage is located on the Ganges River in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. It is located about 18 kilometers from the Bangladesh border.
Construction of the Farakka Barrage began in 1962 and was completed in 1970 at a cost of about US$1 billion. The barrage officially began operations on April 21, 1975.
The purpose of the barrage is to divert only 40,000 cusecs of water into the Farakka Canal and this is done carefully using a system of gates on the main Ganga river, while the remaining water flows into the main river, which then flows through its natural course to Bangladesh.
Farakka Barrage Agreement, 1977 and Ganga Water Treaty, 1996
The Ganges River flows from India into Bangladesh, where its main tributary is known as the Padma River. This river eventually falls into the Bay of Bengal after its confluence with the Meghna River.
The purpose of building the Farakka Barrage by India was to remove silt from the Bhagirathi Hooghly river to ensure smooth operation of the Kolkata port. Bangladesh said that the Ganges is an international river, so its water should be regulated according to mutual agreement.
The two countries established a Joint River Commission (JRC) in 1972 to negotiate the terms of the water agreement.
Bangladesh opposed India’s suggestions and in 1977, the then President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman raised the Farakka Barrage issue in the United Nations General Assembly or UNGA.
The United Nations General Assembly urged them to resolve the issue bilaterally.
In November 1977, Babu Jagjivan Ram, then Deputy Prime Minister of India, visited Bangladesh on an official visit and signed an agreement to resolve the Farakka issue.
In 1996, the Awami League and the new government of Bangladesh signed a new treaty with India – known as the Ganges Water Treaty, 1996. This agreement was for sharing the surface water of the Farakka Barrage near the India-Bangladesh border.
Flood-prone Bangladesh
A 2015 analysis by the World Bank Institute estimated that 3.5 million people in Bangladesh, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, are at risk from annual river flooding. Scientists blame climate change for the rise in such devastating events.