JBS Vol 02. Num 2. 2000 - EQUITABLE SHARING OF INTERNATIONAL RIVERS: A PROPOSAL FOR OPTIMAL UTILIZATION OF THE TEESTA RIVER

Sharing water of international rivers is of great concern among the people living in the basin areas. The international
river with which we are concerned in this paper is the Teesta River. It has its upstream in India and downstream in
Bangladesh. The Teesta Barrage Project at Dalia point in Bangladesh started its operation in 1993 for the purpose of
irrigation. Three years after the beginning of the operation of the Dalia Barrage, India began to withdraw most of the
water during the dry season and release excessive water during the rainy season through a barrage built at the
upstream. The efforts to increase crop production by the Teesta Barrage at Dalia Point went in vain after the
operation of the barrage in India. This paper focuses on an analytical framework specified by objective data in order
to propose an optimal cooperative solution to the controversy regarding sharing of Teesta water, which would be
beneficial to both India and Bangladesh.