China hopeful about implementation of Teesta project after polls

Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Yao Wen on Thursday expressed hopes that the works for the Teesta water management project will start after the upcoming national elections.

He mentioned that China has already sent a revised proposal to Bangladesh on the Teesta River water management by slashing its cost.

“We have proposed implementing the project in phases,” he said in response to a question at a programme organised by the Centre for Alternative in the capital.

China recently assured ‘its highest consideration’ for the ‘Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project’, saying that Bangladesh should resubmit the loan application with a revised implementation plan ‘if the country believes that the project is really necessary’.

Bangladesh had sought 725 million dollars from China for the 980-million-dollar project aimed at ensuring better water preservation in the river that enters the country from India.

In its evaluation, China is learnt to have identified several problems regarding the investment size, feasibility study and land-development plan.

The evaluation report notes that the investment amount of the project is large and there is a significant uncertainty of using the future land income as the main source of repayment.

According to the evaluation, the project feasibility-study report submitted with the loan application did not analyse and demonstrate the land development and development of shipping projects in conjunction with the regional economic and social development base and the current situation of shipping development.

On land development, the report says the necessity of large- scale land development and utilisation and development of shipping in the watershed was not sufficiently demonstrated nor was the scale of development reasonably analysed.

Suggesting implementation of the project in phases, the evaluation report says the revised plan should focus first on solving the flood-prevention and -mitigation needs.

The report also asks for implementation of flood-prevention projects such as embankment, slope projection, protection and river dredging in the first phase, as these are ‘less difficult to construct, with small investment and quicker results’.

China also requires the analysis and estimation of the technical parts such as river evolution and control and guide engineering in the feasibility-study report.

The report concludes with China requesting that Bangladesh resubmit the project application and feasibility-study report and other evaluation materials after optimising and adjusting the project-implementation plan in accordance with the above evaluation suggestions and assuring ‘its highest consideration’.

The proposed construction of the project contains a number of elements such as river training, land development and utilisation, and shipping. There are bank collapse and bank erosion in the Teesta River and it is necessary to carry out river training to improve flood-control capacity, the proposal said.

However, officials concerned in the water resources ministry felt that the government high-ups prefer not to rush for big project loans considering the ongoing economic recession and geopolitical issues.

Originating in Sikkim and entering Bangladesh through Lalmonirhat, the 315-kilometre Teesta travels 153 kilometres through half a dozen northern districts, including Rangpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari and Kurigram, before merging with the Jamuna at Fulchhari.

There is also geopolitical sensitivity about the project as, according to Indian media reports, the scheme is seen as a Chinese effort to exert its influence on the region.

Bangladesh plans to implement the project after failing to get any positive outcome from India over the signing of the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing deal while there has been an outcry from locals against want of water in dry season and over-flooding in monsoon.

Both countries had agreed to strike a deal during the then Indian PM Manmohan Singh’s Dhaka visit, but it was stalled at the fag-end for stiff opposition from the Paschimbanga government. After a long wait, Dhaka then made a move to implement the Teesta management project to store water for the river.

In 2019, Bangladesh sought Chinese funding for this much-sought-after project with a request to replace it with the Dhaka-Sylhet highway project and in November 2002 sent a formal loan application. Though China responded to Bangladesh proposal for funding, it had always maintained a cautious stance.

Under the project envisaged by Bangladesh, massive drainage work will be done along the 115 miles of the Teesta that runs inside Bangladesh border to deepen the mid-river bed. Additionally, a 115-kilometre four-lane road will be built along the riverbanks, officials said, adding that a barrage-cum-road will be built at various points to improve communications along the banks of the river.

“A big reservoir will be constructed to conserve huge surplus water that flows through the river every monsoon to ensure water supply for irrigation during the dry season,” said one official.

Major features of the megaproject are 108-kilometre river dredging, 173-km river embankment construction on either side of the river, development of satellite cities on both banks and preservation of assets worth Tk 1,130 billion. The execution of the scheme is projected to create an estimated 800,000 jobs, said BWDB officials involved with the project.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com