ISC Class 11 · South Asia: India and its Neighbours

India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration (ISC Class 11 Political Science)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers. The Farakka Barrage (1975) led to disputes settled for thirty years by the Ganga Water Treaty of December 1996, while the Teesta remains unsigned. The Teen Bigha corridor was opened in 1992 and the Land Boundary Agreement of 2015 exchanged enclaves. Illegal migration remains sensitive, with Bangladesh denying large-scale flows.

Follow the dates from Farakka to the 2026 treaty end, and notice that the Teesta deal is still unsigned.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration

Water. India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers; a Joint Rivers Commission was set up in 1972. Ganga: India built the Farakka Barrage (commissioned 1975) to divert water into the Hooghly to keep Kolkata port navigable; Bangladesh said it reduced dry-season flow downstream, harming farming, fisheries and increasing salinity in the south-west. After short-term agreements (1977 and later), the Ganga Water Treaty was signed in December 1996 by H. D. Deve Gowda and Sheikh Hasina for thirty years, with a formula to share lean-season (January-May) flow at Farakka; it is due to end in 2026, so renewal is important. Teesta: an interim sharing agreement prepared in 2011 was not signed, because of objections from West Bengal; it remains sensitive.

Teen Bigha. A small strip of Indian land separating the Bangladeshi enclaves Dahagram and Angarpota from mainland Bangladesh. Under the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 (Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) India agreed to lease it to Bangladesh in perpetuity while India kept South Berubari. Implementation was delayed by protests and legal challenges; the corridor opened in June 1992 for limited hours and round-the-clock access was granted in 2011. In 2015 the Land Boundary Agreement was implemented through the Constitution (One Hundredth Amendment) Act, exchanging 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh for 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India and allowing residents to choose citizenship.

Illegal migration. Causes: a long porous border of about 4,100 km; push factors (poverty, population pressure, floods, loss of land to rivers); pull factors (work and ties of language and kinship); history (Partition 1947, war 1971). Effects raised in India: changes in the population balance in Assam, Tripura and West Bengal and fears over land, jobs and culture; the Assam Movement (1979-85) and the Assam Accord (1985) fixing 25 March 1971 as the cut-off date; concerns about security, smuggling and trafficking. India's responses: border fencing and patrolling by the BSF; the National Register of Citizens in Assam (final list 2019); diplomacy. Bangladesh generally denies large-scale illegal migration, estimates are disputed and humanitarian concerns about statelessness have been raised.

India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration: key facts

Water: 54 shared rivers
Joint Rivers Commission 1972
Farakka 1975
Treaty December 1996 for 30 years
Ends 2026
Teen Bigha: 1974 agreement
Opened June 1992
24-hour access 2011
Land Boundary Agreement 2015: 100th Amendment
111 Indian enclaves out
51 Bangladeshi enclaves in
Migration: Border about 4,100 km
Assam Accord 1985
Cut-off 25 March 1971
NRC final list 2019

How to answer India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration questions

Questions are 4 marks per issue; keep a neutral tone and give dates.

1Name the issue and background.
2Give dates and agreements in order.
3State each side's position.
4End with status and unresolved points.

India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Treaty term

Suppose a treaty is signed in 1996 for thirty years.

When does it end?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1996 + 30 = 2026.
So renewal is a live issue in 2026.

Answer: 2026.

Memory hook: Add the term.

Enclave exchange

Suppose 111 enclaves are exchanged for 51 in the other direction.

Find the total enclaves exchanged and the difference.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Total = 111 + 51 = 162.
Difference = 111 - 51 = 60.

Answer: 162 in total; a difference of 60.

Memory hook: Add and subtract.

Tricks to remember India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Farakka 75, Treaty 96, End 2026
Barrage 1975, treaty 1996, ends 2026.
Use it when: Ganga water.
111 and 51
Enclaves in 2015.
Use it when: Land Boundary.

India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Barrage · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The Farakka Barrage was commissioned in:
(a) 1962
(b) 1975
(c) 1996
(d) 2015

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Hooghly diversion.

Answer: (b) 1975.

Example 2: Teen Bigha · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

What is the Teen Bigha corridor and when did it open?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

A small Indian strip separating the enclaves of Dahagram and Angarpota from mainland Bangladesh.
Leased in perpetuity under the 1974 agreement.
Opened in June 1992; 24-hour access in 2011.

Answer: A leased strip linking Bangladesh's enclaves; opened in 1992.

Example 3: Farakka · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain the Farakka dispute and the Ganga Water Treaty of 1996.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

India built Farakka (1975) to keep Kolkata port navigable.
Bangladesh said dry-season flow fell, harming farming, fisheries and raising salinity.
Short-term agreements followed from 1977.
The 1996 treaty by Deve Gowda and Hasina for thirty years set a formula for sharing January-May flow.

Answer: A diversion to save Kolkata port led to complaints and a thirty-year sharing treaty in 1996.

Example 4: Migration · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain the causes and effects of illegal migration from Bangladesh as raised in India, and Bangladesh's position.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Causes: a porous border of about 4,100 km, poverty and floods, work and kinship ties.
Effects: fears over land, jobs and culture in Assam, Tripura and West Bengal; the Assam Accord (1985).
India's responses: fencing, BSF, the NRC in Assam.
Bangladesh generally denies large-scale illegal migration, and numbers are disputed.

Answer: Push and pull causes and sensitive effects; Bangladesh disputes the scale.

Example 5: Neutral analysis · 5 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Case: A student must write on the Teesta issue neutrally. (a) State the 2011 position. (b) State who objected and why it is called sensitive. (c) State how the 2015 agreement changed the border.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) An interim agreement was prepared in 2011 but not signed.
(b) West Bengal objected, and sharing river waters is sensitive for both countries.
(c) It exchanged 111 Indian enclaves for 51 Bangladeshi enclaves through the 100th Amendment.

Answer: (a) Prepared but unsigned (b) West Bengal objected (c) 111 for 51 enclaves.

Where students lose marks in India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Dating the treaty to 1975
Barrage and treaty mixed.
Do this: Barrage 1975; treaty December 1996.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: One-sided migration answer
Bangladesh's position omitted.
Do this: Include that Bangladesh generally denies large-scale migration.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Omitting the 2015 exchange numbers
Enclaves not quantified.
Do this: 111 and 51.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Give dates and parties.
Be neutral on migration.
Mention both sides' views.
Use 111 and 51 exactly.

Practice questions on India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The Ganga Water Treaty was signed by Deve Gowda and:
(a) Mujibur Rahman
(b) Sheikh Hasina
(c) Khaleda Zia
(d) Ziaur Rahman
Hint
December 1996.
Answer
(b) Sheikh Hasina.
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain the Land Boundary Agreement of 2015.
Hint
Enclave exchange.
Answer
It exchanged 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh for 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India and let residents choose their citizenship, implemented through the 100th Amendment.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 after a movement from 1979. Find its length, and the gap from the Teen Bigha opening (1992).
Hint
Subtract.
Answer
1985 - 1979 = 6 years; 1992 - 1985 = 7 years.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain why the Teesta remains unresolved.
Hint
West Bengal.
Answer
An interim agreement prepared in 2011 was not signed because of objections from West Bengal, and the issue remains sensitive.
Q5 · 4 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency
Case: A news item says the Ganga treaty will end in 2026. (a) Compute the treaty period. (b) Name the lean season months in the formula. (c) Name the barrage.
Hint
Thirty years.
Answer
(a) 2026 - 1996 = 30 years. (b) January to May. (c) Farakka Barrage.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Shared rivers?Show answer
54.
2.Border length?Show answer
About 4,100 km.
3.Assam cut-off date?Show answer
25 March 1971.
4.NRC final list?Show answer
2019.
5.Joint Rivers Commission?Show answer
1972.

India and Bangladesh: Water, Teen Bigha and Migration: frequently asked questions

Why Farakka?

To keep Kolkata port navigable.

Is the Ganga treaty permanent?

No, thirty years from 1996.

What is an enclave?

A territory surrounded by another state.