Agreements & MOUs - The Ganga: Water Use in the Indian Subcontinent - page 167

A grave crisis has arisen for Bangladesh on account of India's unilateral action in diverting
the waters of the Ganges at Farakka. .These withdrawals amount to as much as three-

fourths of the dry-season flow of the Ganga. It is difficult to find a precedent in the world,
where such heavy amount of waters of an international river is appropriated unilaterally by
a country at the cost of the vital interests of a neighboring country.

...

To counter these views, India issued a publication 'The Farakka Barrage'
which said:

The available technical and economic data, studies and observations show that the operation
of the Farakka Barrage will not affect Bangladesh adversely. Some minor problems may
arise, but these can be remedied without impeding the diversion of (the) Ganga water into
the Hooghly.

According to Mrs. K. Begum, the Ganga along with its two main distributaries -
the Gorai-Madhumati and the Arial Khan, serves about 37% of the total area of
Bangladesh Of the eight districts that depend on its water, four - Rajshahi, Pabna,
Kustia and Faridpur - are on the bank of the Padma and the other four - Jessore,
Khulna, Barisal and Patuakhali - are in the Ganga delta. They get fresh water
through its six distributaries - the Ichhamati, the Naba Ganga, the Bhairab, the
Kumar, the Gorai and the Madhumati. Because of the Ganga's diversion in 1975,
the minimum discharge at Hardinge Bridge came down to about 23,000 cusecs as
against traditional average of 64,340 cusecs. The water and the ground-water levels
came down by about five feet. The offtake of the Garai rose without any discharge
through it. The affected area was about 52,000 km 2 (20,000 sq. miles), as claimed
by Bangladesh.
India refuted this and held that the affected area did not exceed 2600 km 2
(1000 sq. miles) and therefore, reduction in flow of the Padma would not have any
significant adverse effect. The effects on the Gorai-Madhumati reach would also be
marginal and could be remedied by dredging its offtake. India also denied the fall in
ground-water level, as about one-third of the Ganga's bank is within India and study
of the ground-water table and functioning of tube-wells and lift-pumps by her has
not noted any such adverse effect.

Salinity Intrusion

Mrs. K. Begum supported Dhaka's view that

The most devastating effect of the diversion of the Ganga water has been generated from the
marked increase in salinity, both intrusion upstream and soil moisture depletion, occasioned
by depletion of ground water table. Quite logically, with the decrease in the upland flows,

the salinity increased and advanced ... inland.

...

According to the Bangladesh government, salinity intrusion in the Bhairab was
13,600 micromhos per cm in April 1976, as against the traditional average of 500 to
a very short-time extreme of 1000 micromhos per cm. The penetration was 160 km
(100 miles) more, which was 270, compared to the normal 272 km (170 miles)
from the coast. India refuted this, quoting the World Bank Report and stated that the
withdrawal of 40,000 cusecs at Farakka would have practically no effect at all.