Given the acrimonious exchanges on power and water related issues between India and Nepal, the meeting of the secretary-level Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR) in New Delhi this week can be labeled more than fruitful. It has been agreed that the Indian cabinet will finalize the Terms of Reference of the Pancheswor Development Authority within three months. The two sides agreed to complete the Detail Project Report of Koshi High Dam within two years. And importantly, India also agreed to address Nepal’s immediate power needs by exploring all options to export 100 MW of power to Nepal during the upcoming dry season and an additional 145 MW by 2013. Unsurprisingly, the talks were labeled “most successful” by both the sides with Nepali officials stating that India had been “extra supportive” this time around.
India and Nepal have traditionally bickered over water. Starting from the Sharada Dam construction (1927), 1950 Treaty and Letters of Exchange of 1950 and 1965, Koshi Agreement (1954), Gandak Agreement ((1959), Tanakpur Agreement (1991) to the Mahakali Treaty of 1996, the two neighbors have had rancorous exchanges on matters of water sharing, river management, power trade and construction of barrages. Most in Nepal consider these treaties unequal and flawed. The relation between the two countries hit rock bottom in April 2008 during Koshi breach, which led to heavy flooding on both the sides. While 45,000 people were displaced on the Nepali side, the flood affected over 2.3 million people in northern Bihar. Nepal blamed India for the breach. Water talks thereafter yielded few results.
This is why the recent JCWR talks have thrown some welcome surprises. These are precisely the type of exchanges the two sides need to work out viable outcomes from the water treaties on the basis of shared benefit. The technical team of experts from the two countries is scheduled to meet within few weeks, which will lay the ground for commencement of the ministerial-level talks between the two countries. But given the sensitivity of the matter, especially in Nepal, the two countries will have to make a sustained effort to improve their relations in order to avoid any major water dispute in the future. While giving adequate space and hearing to contending voices in this sector, the two sides should take bold steps and decisive measures for the larger good of the people.
The time is right to get the ball rolling. Given the political proximity and goodwill generated after Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s visit to India last month, both the countries could take mutual cooperation on water issues to the next level. Precious time has already been lost. Important hydropower projects like the 6,000 MW Pancheswor Multi-purpose Project, a vital component of the Mahakali Treaty, has not taken off in 14 years. The end result for Nepal has been almost 18 hours of daily load-shedding during the dry season. India too is in dire need of power. Its northern grid at the moment is faced with a huge 15,000 MW power deficit. Given the political will, much in evidence at the recent JCWR meet, Nepal and India should now seek a new level of engagement on water issues.
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