Balancing Development and Ecology: Tipaimukh Dam Controversy in India-Bangladesh Riparian Relations

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin is also a geopolitical hotspot, and its ever-consuming energy requirements take a heavy toll on the ecological rights of the downstream. The Tipaimukh Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project on the Barak River in India is an example of a hydro-political conflict between India and Bangladesh that began as a project to control floods and was built upstream during the colonial period, and was later redeveloped into a 1,500 MW project because of power crises and to manage floods. The multi-scalar conflict, as it is understood in this paper, is framed in terms of hydrological threats, the displacement of native people, and diplomacy that, in the given case, exemplifies petulance and tries to shift the position from a sovereignty-based exchange to collaborative management. On a qualitative case study foundation, the research will be based on literature, governmental sources, and media reports, and an analysis will be carried out to scrutinize the aspects of the quarrel. The security-related problems of the dam opposition in Bangladesh include reduced flow in the Surma and Kushiyara distributaries during the dry seasons; loss of wetlands, agriculture, fisheries, and the fertility of the floodplain; biodiversity; seismic hazards; and dam safety. As per the Hmar and Zeliangrong societies, the anticipated 275 km² inundation of the upper area is considered cultural eradication. All of these are institutional constraints on negotiations, such as data secrecy, poor transparency, and the Joint Rivers Commission's ineffectiveness in alleviating the conflicts. A unilateral stalemate may also involve a regional civil society. Based on these results, it is recommended to apply science-based hydro-diplomacy, information transfer, collective assessment of effects, stakeholder involvement, and the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework of benefit redistribution to increase the capability to implement stability in the area.