Rising Teesta water
Usually, when we pen editorials on the Teesta river, it is to express our concern over the alarming drop in the flow of Teesta water into our territory. This time, however, the five upazilas in Lalmonirhat are suffering not from a scarcity of water, but an abundance of it – many areas have been flooded over the last two days, and the threat of displacement from flood looms over at least one lakh people on the shoals and chars of the Teesta river. It is feared that the scenario will only worsen if water keeps on being released through the barrages in Sikkim and West Bengal, and that there may be large-scale flood in Bangladesh's northern districts.
According to reports, with the western districts in West Bengal experiencing heavy rainfall over the last one week, all 44 gates of Teesta Barrage have been kept open since Wednesday night due to pressure of upstream water. While we sympathise with the plight of the people of West Bengal who have to deal with the flash floods, we think that if the barrage had to be opened, the best course of action would have been to give prior warning to Bangladesh. It would have allowed our authorities to warn the local people of the impending danger and take appropriate measures to deal with the disaster.
The management of Teesta water is a bilateral issue, and its water should not be manipulated unilaterally by one party, particularly when lives are at stake. It is imperative that both India and Bangladesh work together for an equitable distribution of Teesta water such that people's well-being on both sides of the river is ensured.
Meanwhile, the government must act fast to manage the imminent disaster, move vulnerable communities to safety and provide relief to the flood-hit people.
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