Why Mamata Banerjee is holding back the Teesta pact

The stakes are high in the Teesta water-sharing pact, which still remains unresolved.

For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it would mean cementing ties with a friendly neighbour, which is Bangladesh; for Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, it could mean a comeback to power in 2018; for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, an understanding could go a long way in improving the present near-hostile Centre-state relations.

Banerjee is the lone hurdle to the Teesta pact, though since 2011, many a time it seemed that the agreement would be signed.

In September 2011, for instance, it was almost a done deal. But at the last moment Banerjee raised objections to the draft treaty and backed out of a trip to Dhaka with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which was a huge face loss for the government.

Singh had said that Banerjee had agreed to signing the treaty.

Bureaucrats said that Banerjee’s main objection was to the fixed percentage of water sharing between India and Bangladesh.

Releasing so much water to Bangladesh would not only affect the irrigation system in North Bengal but also drinking water availability, and that is Banerjee’s main concern. West Bengal government officials say she has a point.

Also, the water-sharing pact between India and Bangladesh over Ganga from Farakka did not bode well for Bengal. The state suffers from lack of water during the lean season; water draught goes down in the Hooghly river, impacting navigability of ships for Kolkata and Haldia ports. Moreover, the accumulation of silt in the Hooghly has gone up because there is not enough water washing up the silt at the estuary.

When Banerjee decided to make the trip to Delhi in Hasina’s honour, many thought the ice would thaw. It did, but not on the Teesta. An alternative water-sharing agreement was proposed by Banerjee for the Torsa, Sankosh and Raidak rivers, all of which cross into Bangladesh.

West Bengal government officials said these were insignificant proposals. Therefore, there was little surprise that Hasina rejected them outright. Not that she has a choice. In Bangladesh, she is seen as a “pawn” by the Opposition parties and with the elections coming up, she needs to deliver on the Teesta.

Of Bangladesh’s more than 230 rivers, 57 are transboundary and 54 of those flow through India. Hasina, however, seemed confident that Modi would deliver on his promise on the Teesta. That would mean negotiations would begin between Banerjee and Modi. Whether it would be restricted to the Teesta or would entail some kind of understanding on other issues remains to be seen.