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Abstract
This article analyzes the possible and profound implications for Bangladesh of India's ambitious and controversial River Linking Project. It provides an overview of the grand design of the project, which aims to divert water from the supposedly "surplus" Himalayan rivers (including the Ganges and Brahmaputra) to the water-scarce regions of southern and western India. The study's central focus is on the potential downstream impacts on Bangladesh, a lower riparian country that is critically dependent on the flows of these shared rivers. The research examines the likely consequences for Bangladesh's agriculture, fisheries, navigation, and the delicate ecosystem of the Sundarbans. The paper argues that the project, if implemented unilaterally, could have catastrophic environmental and socio-economic consequences for Bangladesh, posing an existential threat to the country. The analysis concludes by calling for a cooperative, basin-wide approach to water management, based on the principles of international law, as the only viable alternative to a future of hydro-conflict.
Full Text
India's proposed Interlinking of Rivers project is one of the most ambitious and controversial mega-engineering projects in the world. This paper provides a detailed analysis of its possible implications for the lower riparian, Bangladesh. The study begins by outlining the sheer scale of the project's Himalayan component, which envisions the construction of massive dams and canals to divert water from the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems. The core of the article is a comprehensive assessment of the potential downstream impacts. It argues that any significant diversion of water from these two major rivers, which together provide the vast majority of Bangladesh's surface water, would have devastating consequences. The paper details the likely impacts, including a drastic reduction in dry-season flows, a massive increase in salinity intrusion in the coastal belt, the destruction of riverine ecosystems and fisheries, and severe disruption to agriculture and navigation. The findings lead to the conclusion that the project represents an existential environmental security threat to Bangladesh. The second part of the study examines the issue from the perspective of international water law. It makes a strong case that any such project on a shared international river basin requires the prior consent and agreement of all co-riparian states and must be based on the principle of not causing significant harm. The paper concludes with an urgent call for India to abandon any unilateral approach and to engage with Bangladesh in a transparent and cooperative dialogue to find a sustainable and equitable solution to the region's water challenges.