Tens of thousands light torches in northern Bangladesh demanding fair share of Teesta River water

Around one hundred thousand people across northern Bangladesh lit torches on Thursday evening, demanding a fair share of the Teesta River water and the swift implementation of the Teesta Master Plan to revive the river’s flow. 

The torch processions were held under the second phase of the “Jago Bahe, Teesta Bachai” (Rise up, Save Teesta) campaign. 

They took place simultaneously at 11 locations across Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, and Rangpur districts.

The main rally was inaugurated at Char Point near the Teesta Railway Bridge in Lalmonirhat by Asadul Habib Dulu, chief coordinator of the Teesta River Protection Committee, BNP’s Rangpur divisional organising secretary, and president of Lalmonirhat BNP.

Protesters chanted slogans such as “Rise up, save Teesta,” “We reject water aggression,” “We demand our fair share of water,” and “Start the Teesta Master Plan now.”

Anger grows in Teesta basin

Public anger is rising across the region amid what protesters describe as India’s “water aggression,” which they say has deprived Bangladesh of its equitable share of the Teesta’s flow.

Participants said the river, once full during the monsoon, now runs dry in the lean season because India withdraws water unilaterally upstream.

This, they claimed, has devastated livelihoods –  fishermen and boatmen have lost work, biodiversity has declined sharply, and thousands of families are struggling to survive.

They demanded the immediate start of the Teesta Master Plan and condemned India’s unilateral control of the river.

Farmers face crisis

Residents said India’s Gazaldoba Barrage diverts water, causing floods in Bangladesh during the monsoon and acute shortages in the dry months. As a result, Bangladesh has long been deprived of its fair share of water.

The once-fertile Teesta basin – stretching 125 kilometres across Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, and Nilphamari – is turning barren. Even the Teesta Barrage irrigation project at Hatibandha is becoming ineffective.

Farmers said they can no longer grow crops, and in many areas, people can walk across the dry riverbed.

According to local estimates, around 20 million people in the region are at risk of losing their livelihoods.

Calls for immediate action

Locals said Bangladesh, having “overcome fascism through people’s movements,” must no longer bow to external pressure. They warned that if the Teesta’s biodiversity is not restored, tougher movements will follow.

They argued that the Teesta Master Plan – if implemented – could transform the region’s economy, and that no political party has opposed it. People, they said, now seek real progress rather than “empty promises.”

Those who spoke at the rally urged the government to immediately begin work on the project, particularly with proposed Chinese funding.

Asadul Habib Dulu warned that if the project is delayed further, “five northern districts could turn into a desert.”

He said implementing the Teesta Master Plan with Chinese assistance would ensure year-round water supply and create thousands of jobs.

“The people of the Teesta basin are eagerly waiting to see this project begin,” he added.

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