Sandeep Dogra asked: Why did the West Bengal Government back out of the Teesta Water Treaty? Why the Treaty could not materialise?

Anand Kumar

replies: The West Bengal government backed out of the Teesta Water Treaty because they thought it would hurt the interests of North Bengal which is heavily dependent on water from this river. During the lean season, when the water in the river is down sometimes even to 400 cusecs, the demand for irrigation is said to be highest. The West Bengal government is not sure whether they will have enough water to irrigate land in North Bengal after sharing water in the ratio of 52:48. Hence, they have been reluctant to sign this agreement.