Abstract
Environmental problems account for many of the hindrances faced by Bangladesh in her efforts towards economic development. This paper, based on a survey, reflects on the sub-human environmental and socio-economic condition of the people living in the Teesta River basin in Bangladesh, which could have been otherwise had the barrage named Gazoldoba at the upstream of the Teesta River in the Indian territory not been constructed and operated. The Bangladesh authorities had built a barrage in her territory (at Dalia in 1979, at the downstream of the Teesta river) in order to use the Teesta water for irrigation purposes to improve the socio-economic condition of the inhabitants of the Teesta region. However, owing to the controlling of the flow of water at the upstream, the Dalia barrage has become useless. Moreover, there are flash floods, artificial droughts and river erosions in the Bangladesh region, which are caused by controlling of water at Gazoldoba. Therefore, attempts have been made in this study to clearly understand the nature of the problem and to find out an optimal economic solution to it. We have concluded by making some recommendations for optimal use of Teesta water, which would be beneficial for both India and Bangladesh.