The Ganges water dispute between India and Bangladesh provides an example of how cooperation leads to improved outcomes for all. Ganges water rights were a source of dispute between these two countries since India built the Farakka Barrage in 1975. Although there were on and off treaties to share the water in the time between dam construction and 1988, for the eight-year period after that until 1996 India unilaterally withdrew water at Farakka, as there was an absence of any agreement. This caused Bangladesh to raise the issue in international forums, consequently deteriorating India-Bangladesh relations. When both countries saw a change of government in 1996, new hope for an equitable water-sharing agreement arose as India’s United Front government wanted to live up to their earlier promise of amicable relations with neighboring nation-states. At the same time, newly elected Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina “found that her political interests would be better served by signing a Ganges water-sharing accord with India than by using the dispute as a political weapon” (Swain, 2002, p. 69). The lack of agreement caused huge losses for Bangladesh’s forestry, agriculture and fisheries industries; continuing without a solution to the Ganges water issue would be economic suicide.

In December 1996, the prime ministers of both countries signed a new, 30-year, water-sharing agreement. Unfortunately, low rainfall during the first year of the treaty resulted in minimal spring and summer runoff, meaning that the two governments had to work together to increase the dry-season runoff. The implementation of the 1996 treaty thus created an environment conducive to discussing issues surrounding water. Discussions regarding “other water-related issues such as flood management, irrigation, river basin development and hydropower generation for the mutual benefit of the two countries” (Swain, 2002, p.70) replaced the previous unconstructive political debates. The value of meaningful cooperation became clear.

References:

Swain, A. (2002). Environmental Cooperation in South Asia.

Wolf, . T., Kramer, A., Carius, A., & Dabelko, G. D. (2005). Managing water conflict and cooperation. State of the World 2005: Redefining Global Security, 80-95