Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Year
Events
A Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) is formed in April and the Water Resources
Ministers of India and Bangladesh, Dr. K. L. Rao and Khondakar Moshtaque
Ahmed, respectively, sign the statute of the JRC in November. It includes joint
efforts in maximizing the benefits from common rivers and joint studies of flood
control and irrigation projects.
The first JRC meeting is held in June and the 2nd in December.
1973
A meeting between Sardar Swaran Singh, India's Minister of External Affairs and
Khondakar Moshtaque Ahmed, President of Bangladesh in July in New Delhi
decides that the final decision on the sharing of the Ganga water would be taken
by the Prime Ministers of the two countries. In a press release, India promises not
to operate the Farakka Barrage unilaterally, without agreement.
1974
The Foreign Secretaries of the two countries meet in Dhaka twice, in January and
February.
A tripartite meeting of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan in Simla in April resolves
many sub-continental problems but not the Farakka issue. The Prime Ministers
issued a joint Declaration that there would not be enough water to meet the needs
of the two countries.
The two Prime Ministers took note of the fact that the Farakka Barrage Project
would be commissioned before the end of 1974. They recognized that during the
periods of minimum flow, there might not be enough water to resuscitate Calcutta
Port and meet the requirements of Bangladesh. Therefore, the fair weather flow of
the Ganga in the lean months would have to be augmented to meet the
requirements of the two countries.
Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibar Rahman meet in New Delhi in May and give a
mandate to the JRC to discuss augmentation of the Ganga flow.
Six meetings of JRC, held between June and December, discuss alternative ways of
augmenting the lean-season flow in the Ganga.
1975
Jagjivan Ram, India's Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation and Abdur Rab
Serniabat Bangladesh's Minister for Water and Power meet in New Delhi in
February to discuss the water-sharing issue. They meet again in April and reach an
interim understanding that India could divert small quantities of water for 40 days
until the end of May.
The Farakka barrage is commissioned on 21st May.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is assassinated along with many of his family members on
15th August in a military coup.
Sheikh Zia-ur-Rahman becomes the President through another coup in November.
1976
Bangladesh protests to India in its continued withdrawal of water at Farakka;
exchange of protests continues. The relation between the two countries goes under
strain after the assassination of Prime Minister Mujibar Rahman. The spirit of
co-operation and trust which developed during Mujib's regime changes to
suspicion and mistrust after the change of government in Dhaka.
Maulana Bhasani, a peasant leader of Bangladesh, asks India to dismantle the
Farakka barrage and organizes a protest march with more than a 100 thousand
people within Bangladesh territory in May but withdraws it at the last moment.
Bangladesh tries to muster international support against withdrawal of water by
India through the barrage, unsuccessfully; only China and Pakistan back it.
Bangladesh tries to raise the issue in the United Nations General Assembly in
August.
Rear Admiral M. H. Khan of Bangladesh meets Indira Gandhi in September but they
reach no conclusion.
Bangladesh places the Farakka issue in the agenda of the 31st session of the General
Assembly on 21st August and again in a modified form on 8th September.
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