Tales of Tista & present scenario

Tista River, a tributary of the Jamuna River

(Brahmaputra River), flowing through India
and Bangladesh. Tista River an important
river of the northern region of Bangladesh.
Actually it originates in Chitamu Lake in the
Sikkim Himalayas at an altitude of about
7,200 m and comes down first to the Darjeel-
ing plain and then to the Duar plain of West
Bengal (India). It enters Bangladesh at the
Kharibari border of Nilphamari district. After
passing through Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kuri-
gram and Gaibandha districts this deluge falls
into the Jamuna south of Chilmari riverport.
The total length of the river is about 315 km,
of which nearly 115 km lies within Bangla-
desh. The land movement, earthquakes,
floods and geological structural changes in
the northern part of Bangladesh affected the
original flows of the Karatoya, Atrai and
Jamuneshwari rivers. The present Tista is the
result of these changes and the accumulated
flows of the Karatoya, Atrai and Jamunesh-
wari rivers. Actually the Bangla name Tista
comes from Tri-Srota or three flows. Tista has
a mean monthly discharge of about 2,430
cumec. The flow of the Tista is greatest during
the summer (June to September), when the
monsoon rains are heaviest and glaciers
supply abundant meltwater. At present flow
of this river already is in reduced state & it has
been affected irrigation process of this area
due to Tista Barrage. Teesta has already
receded to knee-deep level at present. The
river also provides livelihood opportunities
directly or indirectly to approximately 9.15
million people, around 7.3 percent of the
total population of Bangladesh, in five north-
ern districts but in the near future it is
estimated that this condition will increase
vulnerability to this people and over the
hydro-environment of our country.
Photo of Tista during winter
State of Drought in North of Bangladesh
Drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rain
fall leading to a shortage of water, a normal recurring
feature of climate. It simply means lack of water and may
be defined as lack of sufficient water to meet require-
ments.
Drought affects plant growth, leading to loss of crop pro-
duction, food shortages, and for many people; starva-
tion. Though Bangladesh is a land of abundant rainfall,
drought is very familiar to us. Droughts occur in Bangla-
desh after an interval of 5-10 years.
The northwestern part is prone to drought mainly
because of rainfall variability in the pre-monsoon and the
post-monsoon periods. It actually covers two of the
administrative divisions of Bangladesh: Rajshahi and
Rangpur. Inadequate pre-monsoon showers a delay in
the onset of the rainy season or an early departure of the
monsoon may create drought conditions in Bangladesh,
and adversely affect crop output.
no drought
slight drought
moderate drought
severe drought
very severe drought

Map of water bodies (rivers) of North Bengal
To produce food, water is a must. To ensure food security,
adequate water supply and collecting water is the first need.
But unfortunately Bangladesh has been facing a severe scarcity
of water due to human-induced climate change, environmental
degradation, non-sharing of water from India through the river
Tista, and other causes. Research shows that the burden of
collecting water still falls predominately on the shoulders of
women. Collectively, women from 45 countries including Ban-
gladesh spend over 200 million hours each day fetching water
for their families. In 76 percent of these households, women
devote up to eight hours daily to haul over 40 pounds of
water, often contaminated, in jerry cans/ pitchers on their
backs/ waists. Problem of collecting water become evident
during this drought condition. In many areas of our country
tube wells cannot support as the layer goes down. In drought
condition, due to water stress women have to take burden on
their shoulder to collect safe drinking water from a long
distance. Pregnant women also have to fetch water from a
greater distance in the drought condition. Sanitary hygiene is
hampered due to unavailability of water and the inevitable
consequence is outbreaks of diseases like diarrhoea, cholera
and dysentery. In business as usual scenario, women eventually
face food insecurity because of economic hardship; these extra
elements only add to this endless list their vulnerability con-
text.


Women vulnerability for collecting water
Wet areas will get wetter and dry areas
will get drier
Water is life, and climate change is
threatening this precious resource.
As temperatures rise due to global
climate change, more moisture evapo-
rates from land and water, leaving less
water behind.
A new report by the US space agency
NASA says that temperate regions will
experience more droughts while the
tropics more extreme rains in the future.
Climate change will significantly affect
the sustainability of water supplies in the
coming decades.
As parts of the country get drier, the
amount of water available and its quality
will likely decrease impacting people's
health and food supplies.
As temperatures rise and precipitation
decreases, water quality can be jeopar-
dized.
The impacts of climate variability and
change in the form of drought cause
additional risks for agriculture.
Drought can affect rice crops in three
different seasons, which accounts for
more than 80 percent of the total culti-
vated area in the country.
Climate Change and Drought
Let our life be with our soul & our soul deserves green envi-
ronment to sustain in this beloved earth. Without water &
its resources management our existence will be in a state of
vulnerability or may be dilapidated. So for our own sake
we should walk together to save our life in the way of
water co-operation.