The Ganga Basin Management - The Ganga: Water Use in the Indian Subcontinent - page 254

TILAYA

B I H A R

KONAR

PANCHET

DURGAPUR

BAY OF BEGAL

Fig. 13.2 Index plan of Damodar river

Discussion

'International' and national rivers, flowing through different countries and differ-
ent provinces of a country, respectively provide sweet water for irrigation, use of
human and other livestock, industries, power generation and navigation, irrespective
of political or geographical boundaries. Most of the treaties have been successfully
signed in Europe and America through mutual understanding and at the initiative of
international organizations. The UNO has been playing a major role on these and
many treaties have been signed between and among concerned countries.
Though favoured by the upper riparian countries, the 'Harman Theory' of 1896,
named after a US Attorney General, that every State has absolute sovereignty over
the rivers flowing through its territory was deemed totally unjust by lower ripar-
ian States. According to another theory - the 'Natural Flow Theory' - the lower
riparian States are entitled to the natural flow of the river, uninterrupted by upper
riparian countries. The theory was initiated by Egypt in respect of the claim on the
Nile water by Sudan. Both these theories did not offer any acceptable solution to
all concerned owing to conflicting interests. There is need, therefore, of a theory,
safeguarding the interest of both upper and lower riparian States and of adopting a
solution which would be acceptable to all parties. This can be called the 'Theory