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Table 10.2
Comparative study of discharge to be shared between India and Bangladesh as per
agreement, 1977, MOU, 1982 and 1985
Withdrawal by Bangladesh
(Cusec)
Withdrawal by India (Cusec)
Flow reaching
Farakka (Cusec) 1977
Period
1982
1985
1977
1982
1985
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
January 1-10
11-20
21-31
98,500
40,000
40,000
40,000
58,500
58,500
58,500
89,750
38,500
38,000
38,000
51,250
51,750
51,750
82,500
35,000
35,500
35,500
47,500
47,000
47,000
February1-10
11-20
21-28/29
79,250
33,000
33,000
33,000
46,250
46,250
46,250
74,000
31,500
31,250
31,250
42,500
42,750
42,750
70,000
30,750
31,000
31,000
39,250
39,000
39,000
March 1-10
65,250
26,750
26,500
26,500
38,500
38,750
38,750
11-20
21-31
63,500
25,500
25,500
25,500
38,000
38,000
38,000
61,000
25,000
25,250
25,250
36,000
35,750
35,750
April 1-10
11-20
21-30
59,000
24,000
24,000
24,000
35,000
35,000
35,000
55,500
20,750
20,750
20,750
34,750
34,750
34,750
55,000
20,500
20,500
20,500
34,500
34,500
34,500
May 1-10
11-20
21-31
56,500
21,500
21,500
21,500
35,000
35,000
35,000
59,250
24,000
24,250
24,250
35,250
35,000
35,000
65,500
26,750
26,500
26,500
38,750
39,000
39,000
Political Instability
The political situation in the two countries impinged on water-sharing agreement.
On 15
th
August, 1975, President Mujibur Rehman was assassinated and a military
junta took over in Dhaka. A new government with Khondokar Moshtaq Ahmed as
the new President of Bangladesh took office. The cordiality between the people of
two countries, which developed since the freedom struggle in 1971 evaporated and
the governments as well as the people on both sides began to eye each other with
suspicion. Moshtaq Ahmed was an anti-Indian politician and did not like friendly
co-operation between the two countries in Mujib's regime. However, his tenure was
short and on 7th November, 1975, following a military coup, a new ruling elite
came to power in Dhaka, led by Ziaur Rehman, a senior Army officer and a former
freedom fighter. The government of Bangladesh became stable thereafter for about
5
1
/
2
years but instability returned after the assassination of Ziaur Rehman in May
1981, catapulting another senior Army officer, H. M. Ershad to power.
In India's March, 1977 general election, Indira Gandhi and her Congress Party
were badly beaten by the Janata party, led by Morarji Desai. The new government
was eager to develop and strengthen co-operation with Bangladesh on the Ganga
water-sharing at Farakka and signed an agreement with Dhaka in November, 1977.
The accord, reached in April 1975, was for testing the newly-constructed dry sec-
tion of the feeder canal, wherein the release of water was gradually increased from
11,000 to 16,000 cusecs. More precisely, it related to the depth of the canal, which
was allowed to adjust from about 3 m(10
feet) to 3.5 m(12 feet) depth from 21 April
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