The document summarizes tensions between India and Bangladesh over water sharing of the Ganges river. - India has constructed the Farakka Barrage to divert water from the Ganges upstream of Bangladesh for its own use, depriving Bangladesh of water flow and sending polluted water. - This has negatively impacted Bangladesh's irrigation, food production, fishing industry, water transportation, and increased salinity and erosion in the delta region. - While an agreement was signed in 1990, India has failed to adequately address Bangladesh's concerns and plans to further utilize water from the Brahmaputra river, putting more pressure on Bangladesh's water supply.

1. Tension Between India
and Bangladesh
A2 Geography

2. What’s the problem?
• The River Ganges flows mainly through
India however the last part of it travels
through Bangladesh

3. In Bangladesh the The Problem is
Ganges becomes
the Padma
• This 2500km river is joined by the Jamuna
River the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra
• After this point it changes its name to Meghna
• It eventually flows out into the Bay of Bengal

4. The Main Issues - Farakka Barrage
• 1974 India opened the huge Farakka Barrage 11km from the Bangladesh border
• Further upstream much of the water is diverted to irrigate farms and provide
water for major cities
• Many of the major cities use the rivers to carry waste and industrial sources
• Bangladesh suffer for this
– Deprived of water
– What it gets is often polluted

5. Agreement
• 1990 an agreement was signed about
sharing the waters of the Ganges
• However India have failed to address this
• Worse still India plan on making more use
of the Brahmaputra
• This will put more pressure on
Bangladesh’s supply.

6. Bangladesh’s main problems
• Reduced flow affects irrigation and food
production
• Fish stocks and fish industry declining
• Navigation of water ways have become
harder
• Lower rivers are increasing salinisation
• Delta is eroding because less silt is being
carried by the river thus making it unstable
• Sea water incursion is increasing as the
delta dries out.

7. Your work
• Watch the video entitled
• A Silent War (Water Crisis and Flood)
made by India in Bangladesh
• This can be found on Youtube
• Using the Helsinki rules show how the two
countries fail to meet their obligations and
where are the major conflicts.
• What do you feel will be the outcome of
the problem?

8. References
• www.ipcs.org/pdf_file/issue/SR95.pdf
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYYxCw
k8thU
• http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/indoban
g.htm
• http://www.thefinancialexpress-
bd.com/more.php?date=2011-09-
13&news_id=149248