Bhutan Is Not Blocking River Water To India

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In a statement, Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that since June 24, 2020, there have been several news articles published in India alleging that Bhutan has blocked water channels that supply irrigation water to Indian farmers in Baksaand Udalguridistricts in Assam adjoining the country’s Samdrup Jongkhar district.

Bhutan’s statement came hours after Assam Chief SecretaryKumar Sanjay Krishna, in a late night tweet, termed the media reports as incorrect and said that the actual reason was natural blockage.

According to the statement issued on Facebook by Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Assam’s Baksaand Udalguridistricts have been benefitting from the water sources in Bhutan for many decades and they continue to do so even during the present difficult times when we are faced with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The people of Bhutan, especially those living along the borders of India, deeply value their age-old ties of friendship and cooperation with the people of India, particularly their close neighborsacross the borders in Assam and West Bengal, it said, adding that such ties of friendship, cooperation and support must continue and be reinforced during these difficult times.

Since the lockdown in India and the closure of Bhutan’s borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Assamese farmers are unable to enter Bhutan to maintain the irrigation channels as was done in the past, it said.
However, understanding the difficulty that would be faced by the farmers in Assam, the Samdrup Jongkhar district officials and the general public have taken the initiative to repair the irrigation channels whenever there are problems to ensure the smooth flow of water to Assam, it said.

During the visit, Modi held a comprehensive discussion with Bhutanese Prime Minister LotayTshering and reviewed the current status of the bilateral relationship. The two countries also signed 10 Memorandums of Undertaking (MoUs) to further boost the ties, with Modi having said that “Bhutan has a special place in the heart of 130 crores [1.3 billion] Indians.”

India and Bhutan have a strong historical, cultural, and economic relationship. With the intent of infusing a strong bound of equality in the bilateral relationship, India under the UPA government decided in 2007 to amend the 1949 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, paving the way for Bhutan to act independently in foreign and defenseaffairs.
During the Doklamcrisis between India and China in 2017, when Bhutan fully supported India’s stand, refusing to accept an offer of
$10 billion from China as economic assistance. More to the point, India’s increased efforts to improve ties with Bhutan lies in the fact that any deal between Thimphu and Beijing on the Doklamissue will pose serious security challenges for India.