Feni River

The Feni River winds its way through both India and southeastern Bangladesh, creating a bit of a tug-of-war over who gets to use its waters. Starting its journey in the South Tripura District, it meanders through Sabroom town before crossing into Bangladesh. This transboundary river has become a bit of a hot topic when it comes to figuring out who has the right to use its waters.

Origin and Course of Feni River

The river originates in the southern region of Tripura. It then passes through Sabroom town. Finally, after completing its journey within Indian borders, the river enters Bangladesh.
The river is also known as Feni Nodi in Bengali. The primary tributary of this river is Muhuri. The tributary is also known as Little Feni. The source of Little Feni is in Bangladesh. It merges with the Feni River near its mouth.
It is a perennial river (water flows throughout the river) up to a distance of 60 KM upstreams till Ramgarh. The perennial flow supports small boats in navigating the river throughout the year.

Dispute Regarding the Feni River

The Feni River has been a source of disagreement between India and Bangladesh for many years due to the significant flow across their shared border.
Until 2019, the two countries hadn’t reached an agreement on how to manage the water-sharing issue associated with the Feni River.
In August 2019, the Joint River Commission organized a meeting, bringing together the water secretaries from India and Bangladesh.
The primary objective of this meeting was to tackle the ongoing dispute related to the sharing of water from the Feni River.
The hope was that through this collaborative effort, both nations could find a resolution to the long-standing water-related disagreement.

In December 2010, officials started the construction of a four-lane bridge spanning 150 meters across the Feni River. The bridge aimed to connect Sabroom, located in Tripura, and Ramgarh, in Bangladesh.
The bridge functions as a link between the Chittagong port in Bangladesh. The port is roughly 70 kilometers away from the Indo-Bangladesh border. The Prime Minister of both countries laid the foundation stone of the bridge.
The bridge was to be completed by March 2020. The estimated cost of the bridge was 73 crore rupees. The bridge was officially inaugurated on 9th March 2021 through a video conference. It saw the participation of the Prime Ministers of both countries.
The bridge was named “Maitri Setu”. The name signifies a robust partnership and harmonious bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh.
Tripura, the capital of Agartala, will now be the closest Indian city to an international seaport due to the construction of the Maitri Setu.
The state of Tripura will become the “Gateway of North East”. This is because Tripura will have access to the Chittagong port of Bangladesh.
The port is located only 80 kilometers away from Sabroom. The bridge will serve as a fresh trade corridor between India and Bangladesh.
This will lead to the growth of the Northeastern States. It will also promote greater people-to=people contact between the two nations.

Importance of Feni River

Feni is the lifeline of Sabroom town of Tripura, and therefore the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August 2019 will have the following positive implications.

The Indian government has officially approved an agreement with Bangladesh that was signed earlier, thanks to a recent meeting.
According to this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), India has pledged to stop taking 1.82 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Feni River.
This agreement is a big deal because it addresses a pressing issue in Sabroom town – a shortage of drinking water.
The problem in Sabroom arises from high iron levels in the groundwater, making it unsuitable for consumption.
Now, with the MoU in place, over 7,000 people in Sabroom are expected to benefit, as it resolves the water shortage problem and ensures a better quality of drinking water for the community.

Benefits

Feni River is a river that starts in Tripura, flows through Sabroom town, and enters Bangladesh. Muhuri River, also known as Little Feni, joins it near the mouth.
Currently, there is no agreement between India and Bangladesh on sharing water from the Feni River.
This is important because the town of Sabroom doesn’t have enough drinking water.Sabroom’s water supply is not sufficient, and the groundwater in the area has a high iron content.
If a water-sharing agreement is established and a scheme is implemented, it would greatly benefit the 7,000+ people living in Sabroom town.