River diversion sparks international debate
In Bangladesh, there is growing concern that the proposed diversion of 30 rivers in India will adversely impact the communities in their country, which lies largely downstream of the Indian rivers.
Water is one of the world’s most precious yet abused resources. Britain is this month entering an indefinite period of hose pipe bans, due to the relative drought conditions of the last 18 months. In other regions of the world however, water can mean much more than a parched field, or an unfillable swimming pool.
In Bangladesh, there is growing concern that the proposed diversion of 30 rivers in India will adversely impact the communities in their country, which lies largely downstream of the Indian rivers. The Ganges and Brahmaputra are essential to the region, and form part of the people’s way of life.
The multi billion dollar dam project was first proposed in 2002 and has since remained on paper, but this is beginning to change with some political momentum behind the idea since the Supreme Court made an order that the project should go ahead. IT is thought that the political situation in Nepal could mean India will be able to build dams and reservoirs in the countries territory in an interlinking project. Bhutan also is in a similar position geographically, and could be affected by the proposal.
Of course, the politicians in question believe projects like this can take water from abundant areas to areas with high populations or large scale agriculture which require the water. Unfortunately many river regimes cover more than one country and whilst a project like this may help the host country, it can cause damage further downstream. This is without taking into account the severe environmental problems potentially caused.
Bangladesh relies heavily on its rivers, which not only provide water to the people of the country, but also moves sediment downstream, maintaining and building the river delta on which so many depend. Removing this sediment or disturbing its normal flow, could devastate the region; the land would literally wash away.
Ramesh Chandra Sen, the Bangladesh water resources minister, told the BBC, “We can never agree to it; our agriculture, economy and our lives depend on these rivers, and we cannot imagine their waters being diverted."
Bangladeshi water expert Ainun Nishat says, "India assumes that these rivers stop at its borders and that there will be no downstream impacts to Bangladesh if it did anything to those resources".
"They (India) have always thought that the Brahmaputra has surplus water but they don't seem to remember that there is a sovereign country called Bangladesh downstream which has a need for water."
Water conflict is growing around the world and will only escalate with growing demand. In the third and developing world, it is a growing concern that water will be used as a weapon. In the same way that nuclear deterrents are used to put pressure on other countries, water resources could be threatened to be withheld in return for cooperation on another issue. This has already been seen in some instances. In 2009 North Korea released large amounts of water downstream, causing six deaths in the southern state. It is feared that this could happen again on a larger scale should the country’s frictions escalate.
The damming of the Nile was an early example of dams blocking flow in another country. Here the reduction in sediment moving through the system is greatly affecting the Nile Delta downriver. With dams becoming more commonplace around the world, conflict is extremely likely.
