বুধবার, ১৭ ডিসেম্বর ২০২৫, ০৩:১৬ পূর্বাহ্ন
Bangladesh is verifying the news of fresh withdrawal of water from Teesta River by India’s West Bengal by digging two canals.
“The news regarding Teesta waters has come to our attention. The foreign ministry is discussing the matter regarding canal digging with the water resources ministry and the Joint Rivers Commission,” foreign ministry spokesperson Seheli Sabrin said in a briefing on Thursday (16 March).
“We are carefully monitoring the situation and working to verify the authenticity of the news. We will resolve any issues after discussing with concerned ministries,” she added.
On 4 March, Indian newspaper The Telegraph reported the transfer of 1,000 acres of land to the irrigation ministry of West Bengal to excavate two new canals for withdrawing water from the Teesta and the Jaldhaka.
According to Indian media reports, there are 42 dams built on the Teesta starting from Sikkim.
The decision of West Bengal to dig two more canals for diverting water from the trans-boundary Teesta River will adversely affect livelihoods of about two crore people in Bangladesh, river researchers said.
Northern Bangladesh will become drier because of the arbitrary withdrawal of water, the researchers noted, dealing a severe blow to the region’s nature and environment, which are already under stress due to changing climate.
