Water Case study: India and Bangladesh water conflict

Question 1

Problems creted

Answer 1

1. reduced flow of river is affecting irrigation + food production
2. fish stocks + fishing industry declining
3. navigation and water-borne trade becoming harder because of lower river levels
4. lower river flows increasing salinization
5. the delta eroding due to less silt being carried and deposited
6. seawater incursion increasing as delta dries out

Question 2

Context

Answer 2

1. Ganges flows through India, but last part of course through Bangladesh
2. 1974 India opened Farakka Barrage, just 11km from Bangladeshi border - further upstream series of dams divert water into irrigation systems + many of India’s largest cities use river to carry wastewater from domestic and industrial sources
3. Bangladesh effectively double loser - deprived of much needed water + suffer effects of India’s pollution of river
4. Agreement signed 1990 by 2 countries abut sharing water of Ganges - India very much in control of situation
5. To make things worse India has plans to make greater use of Brahmaputra - flows through India before Bangladesh