The flood situation in southern Bangladesh has deteriorated due to continuous rainfall and rising river water levels, stranding nearly 1.5 million people. The roads and highways connecting the Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali districts remain completely submerged in floodwaters, making them appear as islands. Amid this several Bangladeshis are blaming India for allegedly opening the Dambur Hydroelectric Project in Tripura state.
Bangladeshi ‘students’ who staged a protest on Wednesday, 21st August, regarding the issue claimed that the Indian project has caused devastating floods in Bangladesh’s Feni, Comilla, Noakhali, and Lakshmipur districts. The video of the protests is making rounds on social media.
Students of Dhaka University protest the sudden opening of the Dambur Hydroelectric Project in India’s Tripura state, which has caused devastating floods in Bangladesh’s Feni, Comilla, Noakhali, and Lakshmipur districts. Video: Md Al Amin Saf on Facebook pic.twitter.com/ZOtNSAZBqI
— Masum Billah (@BillahTalks) August 21, 2024
Amid this, on Thursday, 22nd August, the Government of India in its official release clarified that floods in Bangladesh have nothing to do with the opening of the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti River in Tripura.
“We would like to point out that the catchment areas of Gumti River that flows through India and Bangladesh have witnessed the heaviest rains of this year over the last few days. The flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam. Heavy rainfall has been continuing since 21 August in the whole of Tripura and adjoining districts of Bangladesh. In the event of heavy inflow, automatic releases have been observed,” the official statement read.
Flood situation in Bangladesh not due to release of waters from Indian dam on Gumti River, Tripura:https://t.co/8hcnRkoBF1 pic.twitter.com/p5zY0LII7D
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 22, 2024
The Dumbur dam is located quite far from the border, over 120 Km upstream of Bangladesh. It is a low-height (about 30m) dam that generates power that feeds into a grid from which Bangladesh also draws 40MW power from Tripura. Along the about 120 km river course, India has three water level observation sites Amarpur, Sonamura, and Sonamura 2. The government stated that automatic release was observed amid heavy inflow of water.
“Amarpur station is in part of a bilateral protocol under which we are transmitting real-time flood data to Bangladesh. Data showing a rising trend has been supplied to Bangladesh up to 1500 hrs on 21 August 2024. At 1800 hrs, due to flooding, there was a power outage leading to problems in communication. Still, we have tried to maintain communication through other means created for urgent transmission of data,” the statement added.
Floods on common rivers in India and Bangladesh are a shared problem that causes pain for people on both sides and necessitate close mutual collaboration to resolve.
“As two countries with 54 shared cross-border rivers, river water cooperation is a significant aspect of our bilateral relationship. We remain dedicated to resolving issues and concerns about water resources and river water management through bilateral conversations and technical meetings,” India indicated.
It is important to note that several Bangladeshis are spreading an anti-India narrative amid the floods claiming that India has deliberately the Dambur Hydroelectric Project in Tripura state. “India is effectively breaching international law on a regular basis. India has consistently ignored UN obligations and has never acknowledged the rights of Bangladesh and its people under international law. Despite these hostile actions, Indian officials continue to claim that they are friendly neighbors—yet they wonder why Bangladeshis hold such deep resentment against them. Is India truly a friendly neighbor to Bangladesh? Their actions speak louder than their words,” alleged Sultan Mohammed Zakaria, a Bangladeshi ‘expert’ on democratic governance and human rights.
#Bangladesh: India's Reckless Actions Are Worsening the Flood Crisis in Southeast Bangladesh
— Sultan Mohammed Zakaria (@smzakaria) August 21, 2024
For the first time in generations, Bangladesh's entire southeastern region is facing its worst flooding in history affecting millions of people. The cause? Indian authorities opened the… pic.twitter.com/GK5JzLLBcz
Derek Grossman, a senior defence analyst at RAND focused on a range of national security policy and Indo-Pacific security issues also blamed India for deliberately causing floods in Bangladesh. “If India indeed opened the Dambur hydroelectric project in Tripura state without notifying Bangladesh, and if this was done in political retaliation against the new govt, then New Delhi must be held to account. To be fair, heavy rains preceded this event,” he claimed.
Many others alleged that India had created fake floods in Bangladesh due to the fall of the Awami League Government which led to atrocities against the Hindu community in the country.
India has created an artificial flood in Bangladesh by releasing water from its dams and you still wonder why people hate India so much? pic.twitter.com/4WRpsn6GpL
— Nazmus Sajid Chowdhury (@nazmussajid) August 21, 2024
Flood in Bangladesh is not natural disaster.
— Tahsinul haque Nabil (@tahsin_nabil_1) August 21, 2024
It is Indian Made.
Indian floods are Natural
While, BD's are Indian made.
They opened the Dams unleashing Floodwaters!!
Indian wasn’t and isn’t our Friend.#FloodInBangladesh pic.twitter.com/W5SjPbZpHV
Asif Mahmud, a Bangladeshi student activist, who is currently an advisor to the Bangladesh interim government also commented on the issue blaming India for floods. “Sheltering murderer Sheikh Hasina, opening the water gates without notice and causing floods may lead to the deterioration of Bangladesh’s relations with India. A clear explanation should be given to the people of Bangladesh,” he said. Notably, Mahmud was the key coordinator of the ‘students protest’ which led the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform culminating in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.
"Sheltering murderer Sheikh Hasina, opening the water gates without notice and causing floods may lead to the deterioration of Bangladesh's relations with India. A clear explanation should be given to the people of Bangladesh."
— Tamjidul Hoque🇧🇩 (@TamjidulH24v2) August 21, 2024
-Advisor to Sports Ministry Asif Mahmud pic.twitter.com/f7Vs85xK3N
The students at Dhaka University meanwhile again began protesting against India yelling slogans of ‘Boycott India’ amid the flood situation. “If people die in the flood, There will be no Seven Sisters. Boycott Boycott India Boycott,” the students could be heard yelling.
Students in Bangladesh raising slogans,
— Nznn Ahmed (@na_nznn) August 21, 2024
“If people die in the flood,
There will be no Seven Sisters”
“Boycott Boycott
India Boycott “#BoycottIndia pic.twitter.com/hLMhGCam9g
Bangladesh is floating in the flood caused by India. Hundreds of deaths have already been reported. A few Thana in Feni district were completely submerged. There is no way to reach out for help.
— nuruzzaman nahid (@NahidNuruzzaman) August 22, 2024
The international community will not speak out against this oppression? pic.twitter.com/FwqhoZekTj
“You don’t need to be a foreign expert to understand why India’s neighborly relations are not good. India has released the river for no reason without informing Bangladesh. Which creates an artificial flood in Bangladesh, millions of people of Bangladesh are now trapped in water,” commented one of the Bangladeshi netizens spreading an anti-Indian narrative.
You don't need to be a foreign expert to understand why India's neighborly relations are not good. India has released the river for no reason without informing Bangladesh. Which creates artificial flood in Bangladesh, millions of people of Bangladesh are now trapped in water. pic.twitter.com/jvHWVeyTJA
— Md Shamim🇧🇩🇧🇩🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@MdShamim745829) August 21, 2024
Apart from netizens, several media houses also claimed that India was behind the floods that have shaken Bangladesh currently. Borok Times said that the switchgate of the Dumbur Reservoir in Tripura had been opened after 31 years causing floods. However, it stated that the opening of the Dumbur Reservoir’s switchgate was deemed necessary to prevent the reservoir from overflowing, which could have led to even more catastrophic flooding downstream.
Even, the Business Standard claimed that India had opened the switch gates causing floods in Bangladesh.
“India’s unilateral construction of dams and its arbitrary control of water flows have become a constant threat to Bangladesh, causing either drought or flooding downstream. This reckless behavior has devastated millions of lives and wreaked havoc on the environment. For example, over 80% of Bangladesh’s 20 million small farmers depend on water flowing through these transboundary rivers to grow rice,” stated Sultan Mohammed Zakaria, a Bangladeshi ‘expert’ on democratic governance and human rights further citing a 21-year-old article by the Guardian media who is habitual of spreading anti-India narrative across the globe.
Notably, India has clarified that the gates were not opened as claimed by many including credible media houses, but automatic release of water due to heavy rainfall was observed. Floods in Bangladesh have created havoc.
Water levels in Cumilla’s Gumti and Muhuri rivers have risen dramatically as a result of severe rainfall. Furthermore, the water levels in the Kushiyara, Manu, Dhalai, Khowai, Muhuri, Feni, Gumti, and Halda rivers have already reached unsafe levels, according to the reports.
Water levels in some locations, notably the Hobiganj district in northeastern Bangladesh, have reached levels not seen in the last 50 years, statistics from the Bangladesh Water Development Board’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) state. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department predicts medium to heavy rain in the southeastern and eastern regions, as well as nearby upstream areas, in the coming 24 hours. The situation remains tense.
