The Teesta river water sharing dispute that has been going on for years between India and Bangladesh is no longer a matter of just two countries. Bangladesh has included China in the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP) to deal with its water crisis. After China’s financial and technical participation, this project has now acquired strategic importance. India is concerned that the project site is very close to the Siliguri Corridor, where Chinese presence could pose a threat to its security. On the other hand, Bangladesh needs this project to provide relief from problems like irrigation, floods and river erosion. In such a situation, Teesta has now become not only an issue of water but also an issue of diplomacy and strategic balance.
How did China enter the Teesta project?
Bangladesh has been struggling with problems like water shortage, silt accumulation in the river and floods in the Teesta river for a long time. For this reason, it sought financial assistance of $725 million from China for the TRCMRP project costing about $980 million. In the year 2016, an agreement was signed between the two countries regarding this project. China tried to link it to the Belt and Road Initiative, although Bangladesh did not officially consider it part of that project. In a joint statement issued during the visit of Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus to China in March 2025, Bangladesh for the first time formally welcomed China’s participation in the project.
Why is India most worried?
India’s biggest concern is the location of the project. The area where the Teesta River enters Bangladesh is less than 100 kilometers from India’s Siliguri Corridor. This narrow corridor connects the north-eastern states of India to the rest of the country. India believes that if Chinese engineers and technical teams remain present in this project for a long time, then it can become a strategic challenge for it. India has already expressed its concern to Bangladesh that China’s presence in this sensitive area could affect its security.
How did the water dispute become a diplomatic challenge?
The sharing of Teesta river water has been stuck between India and Bangladesh for years. Bangladesh says that during the dry season it gets much less water than it needs. While it needs more than 5,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water, at times only 200 to 300 cusecs of water is available. The flow of water is also affected due to the barrages and irrigation projects built by India in Sikkim and West Bengal. In 2011, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had come to sign the agreement with Bangladesh, but the agreement could not be reached due to the opposition of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Since then this matter is continuously pending.
Why will it not be easy for Bangladesh to strike a balance?
Teesta project is very important for Bangladesh because the agriculture of its northern area and the livelihood of millions of people depend on this river. But after accepting China’s economic and technical help, the situation was not the same as before. Now in the future, if there is any new negotiation between India and Bangladesh regarding the waters of Teesta River, then China’s presence will also be an important aspect in it. According to the article, the bigger China’s economic aid becomes, the more difficult it may become for Bangladesh to maintain the balance between the two countries. This is the reason why Teesta River has now become not just a water management project but an important subject of diplomacy and strategic competition in South Asia.
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