Pinak lambastes Bangladesh water experts

Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty today said some ‘so-called water experts’ are making comments without considering issues relating to the flow of the Ganges water.

“Unfortunately, criticism of India and India-phobia has become an instrument for deriving political mileage for a particular section whose antecedents are well-known,” the Indian envoy told a seminar on ‘South Asian Connectivity: Bangladesh Perspective’ at Pan Pacific Sonargaon in Dhaka.

Pinak said a section of people in Bangladesh are trying to drive political mileage out of the issue of water-sharing of common rivers.

He said the share of Ganges waters for each side is determined by amount of water available at Farakka in keeping with the Bilateral Treaty on Sharing of Ganga Waters signed on December 12, 1996.

During 2001 general elections in Bangladesh, he said voices were raised for annulment of this Treaty.

“However, we never receive any official remark after the elections,” he said, adding, “One needs to reflect as to why no action was taken thereafter to annul this treaty?”

Pinak said one could presume that better sense prevailed and people understood the advantages and benefits of the Treaty.

That is why, all these years both sides have continued to share available water and officials of both sides have signed documents on the amount of water available and its sharing, he added.

He said these documents are available in government records.

Clearly, the question of Bangladesh not getting its due share of water under this treaty is an empty slogan.

The decreased flows are on account of decreased availability of water in Ganges, he observed.

There has been a lot of agitation on the issue of Tipaimukh Dam, Pinak said.

He reiterated that it is a hydroelectric multipurpose project to produce electricity only.

It will also, to some extent, help in flood control. The project has no component of irrigation and involves no diversion of water for irrigation purposes, he added.

He said the feasibility and design of Tipaimukh has been studied and examined threadbare by various experts over the last 40 years and India provided all details on the proposed project to Bangladesh.

“Some may say that it is quite late. However, it needs to be understood that India has been doing its own studies and examining the data which takes lot of time,” he told the seminar.

Pinak said India has invited a team from Bangladesh to visit the site of proposed project.

“We welcome the constitution of a parliamentary team and look forward to their visit,” he added.

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