Tales of Tista & present scenarioTales 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 winterPhoto of Tista during winter

State of Drought in North of BangladeshState of Drought in North of BangladeshDrought 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 droughtslight droughtmoderate droughtsevere droughtvery severe drought

Map of water bodies (rivers) of North BengalMap 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 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 DroughtClimate 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.