Workshop on Transnational Policy Dialogue for Improved Water Governance of Brahmaputra River

Anjal Prakash and Poulomi Banerjee

September 10, 2013Guwahati, India

The Brahmaputra River Basin..

Principal arm of GBM System; Total basin area 651,335 sq kmTotal 58 tributaries (22 in Tibet, 33 in India and 3 in Bangladesh)

China (50%) India (33.6%) Bangladesh (8.1%), Bhutan(7.8%)

Highest specific discharge system in the world , highly braided channels, large flood prone areas, bank erosion, channel migration

Seismically unstable zone, part of indo-Burma bio diversity hotspots

Arunachal Pradesh(41.95), Assam (36.3%), Meghalaya(6.1%), Nagaland (5.6%), Sikkim (3.8%) west Bengal (6.3%)

Accounts 30% of the total water resources and 40 % of the hydel power potential of the country

Utilization is much less with <5% in hydropower, 10% in irrigation, 4% groundwater

Arunachal Pradesh (69350 sq km ) is the greenest state of the region; it has been called the State with highest hydropower potential of 50,000 MW

Assam is the worst flood affected state of the country with 15 major floods (1954-2012)

High dependence on agriculture, widespread practice of traditional farming, low usage of modern farm inputs, inadequate agricultural infrastructure, low productivity, low income

Some facts on Bangladesh part of Brahmaputra basin Brahmaputra-Jamuna system constitute of Rajshahi, Dhaka and

shyllet divisions of Bangladesh with total catchment area of 5,83,000 sq km

Enters at Kurigram district (at the border of Kurigram Sadar and Ulipur upazilas)

Brahmaputra-Jamuna is 276 km long, of which Brahmaputra is only 69 km

The Teesta is principal tributary inputs, while Old Brahmaputra and the Dhaleswari are major distributaries

Experiencing large-scale avulsion, widening and westerly migration and rapid bank erosion in response to large floods

Major issues and concerns

Unstable physiography

Climate change

Water sharing

Rights , acts and policies Basin

management

physiographic conditions aggravated by climate change

Rising temperatures, recession of glaciers,

intense rainfall triggered by cloud burst impacting the entire eco and human

system

Districts of north east India ranked high in

agricultural, water and forest vulnerability index

High seismicity and sedimentation impacting

the hydrologic characteristics and

morphology of the river

Salt water ingression; sea level rise impacting the hydrology of the system

Floods and drought co-exist

Water sharing between Dhaka and Delhi

On 12 December 1996, Bangladesh and India signed 30 years Ganges treaty, and no further treaty after that

Contentions in water sharing of Teesta, Feni(interim agreement of 2011 on sharing of Teesta water for 15 years) rivers

Large scale hydroelectric projects in India and diversion of water to Ganga erupting tensions at different levels

4 hydro power projects

(1297MW) on Teesta in India have potential

conflict

Issues for regional cooperation on water sharing

Lack of bilateral/multilateral agreements, treaties(none of the riparian countries signed the UN water convention 1997)

Lack of apathy of the government to understand the fragility of the system, widespread corruption, deteriorating law and order and lack of transparency

Technological biasness (India largely focusing on hydro-power ) and its slow reach of leading to poor adaption

Lack of sharing of scientific information, lack of joint researches

Modification of river flow due to barrage, sluice gate and water retention structures affecting connectivity and river depth

Way forwards..

Hydro-diplomacy and consultation

backed by technical

knowledge to manage riparian

relations between the two

Shift from the issue being bilateral to

multilateral

Co-management of the Brahmaputra

River in integrated framework

Track III and IV diplomacy

required to build confidence

between two countries

Thank You

Actor and Stakeholders’ mapping for Organisations\institutions that influence the

management of Brahmaputra River

Key actors What is their mandate?

How interested they are in the management? (High, Med, Low)

How much power do they have?(High, Med, Low)

Degree of involvement(Active, Passive, Fence sitter)

Key means to influence them?

Policy MakersExecutorsUsersExperts