Sharing Teesta water detrimental for N Bengal: officials

Statesman news service 

SILIGURI, 17 NOV: The state irrigation and waterways officials, associated with Teesta Barrage Project (TBP) said sharing the Teesta water with Bangladesh would be detrimental to the interests of north Bengal.

Chief Minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee yesterday met Bangladesh foreign minister Dr Dipu Mani, and said a committee of riverine management experts would asses the amount of water required for the region.

The officials are mow worried after they calculated the volume rate of water flow from the Teesta River during the lean period.

A senior engineer of the TBP said: “If we do not share water with Bangladesh, it will not be possible for us to supply water for irrigation covering the entire target area of 3.42 lakh hectares of crop lands during pre-Kharip period from November to March and even during the Kharip period.”

Notably, the Central government has asked the state to prepare the project so that it can cover 3.42-lakh hectares of land by 2015. To cover the target areas the TBP needs 340 cumec. But, the TBP records show that the volume rate of water flow from the Teesta is 100 cumec during lean period from November to March.

The river discharges water 200 to 250 cumec during the Kharip season.

The project was conceived to supply water for Kharip crop in north Bengal and the TBP plans to provide waters for Boro cultivation on the basis of farmers’ demands.

Besides irrigation, the TBP project needs to supply 80 cumec to 200-cumec water to run three-hydel power projects, located on Mahananda main canal near Siliguri, for production of 67.5 mega watt electricity.

To manage the situation, the state electricity department has decided to suspend the production of its three projects alternatively for maintenance during the lean period.

 “Despite such practical problems the state irrigation department during the regime of the Left Front government had agreed to sacrifice and share 25 per cent of water with Bangladesh in the interest of maintaining international relation with neighbouring country,” said a senior state irrigation official.

“The water sharing problem between the two countries still stands for the period from November to March,” he added.

According to the TBP officials, the rate discharge of water from the river Teesta during peak monsoon period is 1500 cumec.