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Under the water agreement with India, joint monitoring of the two countries’ water began on Saturday. The Indian team’s observation at Hardinge Bridge Point on the Padma River found less water flow than in the same period last year.
The Ganges water distribution agreement was signed between Bangladesh and India in 1997 to guarantee a fair amount of water in the dry season. Since January 1 of each year, the delegations of Bangladesh and India monitor the flow of water at Farakka Point and Hardinge Bridge Point to ensure that water is available.
The Indian delegation began measuring the Padma’s water level at 2,500 feet above the Hardinge Bridge on Saturday morning. The team includes Shri Venkateswara, deputy director of the Central Water Commission of India and Shri Nagendra Kumar, deputy director of the commission. They are accompanied by officials from the Bangladesh Department of Hydrology.
Reich Uddin, Acting Executive Engineer at the Pabna Department of Hydrology, told The Daily Star: “On the first day of the survey, we found about 60,000 cusecs of water flowing at Hardinge Bridge Point.” But at the same time last year, the water in the Padma was 1 lakh 2 thousand cusecs. This year there are 22 to 23 thousand cusec less water flow.
However, officials involved in measuring the water have claimed that Bangladesh is getting water under the agreement even though the flow is low.
Reich Uddin said that as the flow of water in the Ganges is less, the flow in Padma can also be less. Whether Bangladesh is getting water under the agreement can be determined by reviewing the data collected by the joint river monitoring team. According to the agreement, there is no reason to worry as there are more than 6,750 cusecs of water in the river in Bangladesh.
On the other hand, a four-member Bangladeshi water monitoring team in India has started observing Farakka at two points. The team is led by AKM Saifuddin, Executive Engineer for the Joint River Commission. He said the final figures would be released after reviewing data from two groups of observers every 10 days.
According to the water sharing agreement, the flow of water in Farakka is distributed between Bangladesh and India for 10 days from January 1 to May 31 each year. If 60,000 cusecs or less of water flows into Farakka in the first 10 days, both Bangladesh and India will get 50 percent water.
In the second 10 days, if there is a flow from 80,000 cusecs to 75,000 cusecs at Farakka Point, Bangladesh will definitely get 35,000 cusecs of water and India will get the remaining water. And in the third 10 days, if there is a flow of 75,000 cusecs or more at Farakka Point, India will get 40,000 cusecs of water and Bangladesh will get the rest.
An analysis of last year’s water flow data on the Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission website shows that in the first 10 days from January 1, the water level in Farakka was 161,000 cusecs, the Bangladesh’s share was 60,071 cusecs and India’s share was 40,000 cusecs. At that time, the water at Hardinge Bridge Point was 1 lakh 2,574 cusecs.
