aio India Bangladesh and the Farakka Barrage - Future Directions eration TOPIC \GLOBAL FOOD AND WATER CRISES \ INDIA, BANGLADESH AND THE FARAKKA BARRAGE India, Bangladesh and the Farakka Barrage 1OMAY 2016 Madeleine Lovell Research Analyst, Global Food and Water Crises Research Programme Download PDE Print e Email Key Points > The Farakka Barrage was created by India in 1975 to divert water from the Ganges River system > Bangladesh is a lower siparian country that heavily relies on the flow of the Ganges to meet its food and water demands; any change in the flow of the Ganges significantly afects it > The Ganges Water Treaty has a limited ability to meet the current needs of both India and Bangladesh, If agreements over other transboundary rivers can be achieved ~ particularly the Teesta River ~ then it may be possible for the countries to improve water sharing goodwill and collaboration. Alternative methods for co-operation must be explored. summary the Ganges Water Treaty determines the water-sharing arrangements between India and Bangladesh, however, its ability to suitably divide riparian water rights and foster co-operation is limited at best. India's construction of the Faralcka Barrage has, in part, soured ‘the bilateral relationship between the two countries. Both India and Bangladesh face increased pressure to meet rising water demands. There is little effective water agreement to sustain a co-operative bilateral relationship while meeting these demands Analysis ‘The Faraktka Barrage The Ganges River originates in the Tibetan Himalayas. The river flows through northern India and enters Bangladesh where it becomes the Padma River. Once the Padma reaches the centre of Bangladesh, it joins with the Brahmaputra, or Jamuna, as it is known in. Bangladesh, where the two join and form the Meghna River. The Meghna River then branches into a set of distributaries which eventually drain into the Bay of Bengal. ip hwwr fection org aulpublicaonindia- bangladesh farakka-barrage! 68