look news india
The Teesta River Project Dispute, which has been a sensitive issue between India and Bangladesh for decades, has now taken a dangerous turn which has created a stir in the geopolitics of the entire South Asia. Till now there was a tussle between India and China regarding the revival and management project of Teesta River, but now the superpower America has also made a big entry in it. After an intensive visit by American diplomats and economic delegations posted in Dhaka to Rangpur, Panchgarh and northern Bangladeshi areas adjacent to the Teesta Basin, it has been confirmed that Washington has set its sights on this ambitious Teesta project costing about $ 1 billion. After this direct interference of America, Bangladesh has completely become the new strategic ‘Great Game’ arena of the three biggest powers of the world – India, China and America, which has not only increased the difficulties of the Bangladeshi government, but has also created huge tension on the front of Indian security and diplomacy.
The Teesta River is the fourth largest river system of Bangladesh, flowing through Sikkim and northern West Bengal and joining the Jamuna River of Bangladesh. Due to severe floods in monsoon and severe water shortage in dry season, Bangladesh has long wanted to work on ‘Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project’. Initially, China had gambled on funding this much talked about ₹9,000 crore ($1 Billion) project and developing the technical infrastructure. However, India had raised strong strategic objections to the presence of Chinese soldiers and engineers very close to the Indian border and the ‘Chicken Neck’ (Siliguri Corridor). Amidst this tussle, citing US-Bangladesh bilateral trade agreements, American infrastructure and investment companies have expressed their intention to directly participate in the Teesta project. America believes that breaking the Chinese monopoly in this sensitive water project is very important for its balance of power policy in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to South Asian diplomatic experts, America’s entry into this dispute may further complicate regional stability. For India, the Siliguri Corridor is a 22-km-wide critical military chokepoint that connects the entire northeastern India with the rest of the country. If the 3 kilometer wide and shallow flow of Teesta river is forcibly narrowed to form an artificial channel of 816 meters, then there will be a permanent threat of devastating floods in the entire area due to crores of tonnes of soil and silt coming from the Himalayas. On the other hand, the dilemma facing the current government in Dhaka is how it will balance the loan and infrastructure promises from Beijing, trade pressure from Washington and its historical and geographical ties with New Delhi. Experts clearly say that this direct war between superpowers over Teesta is going to give rise to a new conflict on the map of South Asia in the coming days.