Failure to Ink a Deal
Frustration grips people of Teesta River basin
People of Kalmati village in the char (landmass emerged from the riverbed) area of Teesta River in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila show signs of despair after hearing that Bangladesh and India failed to sign any deal for sharing water of the river during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit ending yesterday.Photo: STAR
Several lakh people of 70 villages in Teesta River basin areas under five upazilas of the district are unhappy as Bangladesh and India failed to sign any deal on sharing the river water during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit ending yesterday. Around 30,000 acres of land in char (land emerged from riverbed) areas around the Teesta is lying unused for years as farmers cannot cultivate paddy and other crops there due to lack of irrigation water from the river, said sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Lalmonirhat. Visiting several villages in Teesta char areas of Lalmonirhat Sadar, Aditmari and Hatibandha upazilas yesterday, this correspondent observed a general sense of frustration among the locals as they had already known that no deal was signed for sharing Teesta River water. “Hearing the news of Indian prime minister's visit, we became happy thinking that a deal to share the water of Teesta River would put an end to our sorrow. We hoped that adequate irrigation water from the river would help to cultivate our lands that lay fallen for long. But all our hopes have been dashed,” said Mozidul Islam, 55, a farmer of Kalmati village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. "I thought Indian prime minister's visit to Bangladesh would appear as a blessing for the people living in char areas around Teesta River. But my thought proved wrong," said Taher Miah, 75, of Gobordhon village in Aditmari upazila. “Like me, several thousand fishermen find it difficult to maintain our family as very little fish is found in the Teesta River due to fall of water level during the last several years. Hearing that no deal was signed to share Teesta River water, now we see a bleak future,” said Nogendra Dash of Parulia village in Hatibandha upazila. Many farmers and fishermen, too worried about the effect of the scanty river flow on their livelihood, did not even feel like talking on the matter.
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