Bihar Alone Bears 73% of the Burden of the International Farakka Water Treaty – Umesh Singh Kushwaha
- JDU’s “Nitish Samvad on Farakka Water Treaty” programme launched with great enthusiasm from Buxar
- National Working President Sanjay Kumar Jha and State President Umesh Singh Kushwaha addressed the gathering
Shailendra Srivastava
Buxar : JDU’s “Nitish Samvad on Farakka Water Treaty” programme was launched from Buxar. Under this programme, the party’s National Working President, Sanjay Kumar Jha, and State President, Umesh Singh Kushwaha, will conduct public interactions across 12 districts of Bihar situated along the Ganga—Buxar, Bhojpur, Saran, Patna, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Khagaria, Bhagalpur and Katihar—which are among the districts most affected by the treaty.
The public awareness campaign began in Buxar and will conclude in Katihar, as the Ganga enters Bihar through Buxar and exits the state through Katihar.
A grand programme was organised at Bagicha Utsav Marriage Lawn on Central Jail Road, Buxar. MLA Shri Rahul Kumar Singh, who is serving as the programme coordinator; MLA and former Minister Shri Santosh Nirala; MLA Er. Shubhanand Mukesh; State General Secretary and Programme In-charge Smt. Anjum Ara; District President Rajkumar Sharma; State Vice President Parshuram Tiwari; State Secretary Ashok Prajapati; Buxar Nagar President Sanjay Kumar Choudhary; along with a large number of party office-bearers and thousands of party workers, were present.
During the programme, a documentary film prepared by the party on the issue was specially screened. A detailed information pamphlet was also distributed.
During his address, National Working President Shri Sanjay Kumar Jha said that the 1996 water treaty between India and Bangladesh is not in the interest of India, particularly Bihar. Therefore, it should not be renewed. He said that if any new treaty is entered into, it must take into account Bihar’s water requirements up to the year 2050.
He said that the water treaty has severely affected Bihar’s water management and that the state is facing a serious water crisis.
Sanjay Kumar Jha further said that under the Farakka Treaty, during the dry season (1 January to 31 May), even when the flow of the Ganga near Buxar falls to only 400 cumecs (approximately 14,000 cusecs), 1,500 cumecs (approximately 53,000 cusecs) of water still has to be released from Farakka for Bangladesh.
This means that not only the Ganga, but also water from Bihar’s internal rivers is being drawn and supplied to Bangladesh. He described this as a direct injustice to Bihar.
He said that those in the previous governments at both the Bihar and Central levels had sacrificed Bihar’s interests. They failed to consider that such a situation puts at stake the irrigation needs of Bihar’s farmers, drinking water for the people, water requirements of industries, livelihoods of millions of people, and the future of the state’s youth.
State President Umesh Singh Kushwaha said that their respected leader and National President, Shri Nitish Kumar, has consistently maintained that Bihar is suffering significant losses because of the Farakka Barrage and the Farakka Water Treaty.
On one hand, the Farakka Barrage has caused heavy silt accumulation in the Ganga, raising the riverbed, which results in annual flooding in North Bihar. On the other hand, because of the Farakka Water Treaty, Bihar has to provide its share of water to Bangladesh during the dry season, leading to drought-like conditions in several districts of the state.
He said that Bihar alone is bearing 73% of the burden of this international treaty. He described this as an injustice to Bihar and said that the party wants to highlight this issue through the campaign.
Umesh Singh Kushwaha thanked National Working President Sanjay Kumar Jha for raising the issue strongly, writing about it in newspapers, and also raising the matter in the Rajya Sabha during the recent Monsoon Session of Parliament.
He said that due to the efforts of the party’s top leadership, the issue has now become a subject of national debate.
MLAs Santosh Nirala, Rahul Singh and Shubhanand Mukesh said that the JDU’s initiative is not politically motivated, but is an issue concerning the public interest and the party’s commitment to the people.
They said that the campaign is about Bihar’s rights and the interests of the people of Bihar. People need to understand how and to what extent Bihar is being affected because of the Farakka (Ganga) Water Treaty.
They said that they want to take Bihar’s voice to the Central Government so that questions related to the Ganga are brought before the nation and the Farakka Water Treaty is reconsidered.
