[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H836-H838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONCERNING URGENT NEED TO IMPROVE LIVING STANDARDS OF SOUTH ASIANS 
            LIVING IN THE GANGES AND BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER BASIN

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 16) concerning the urgent need to 
improve the living standards of those South Asians living in the Ganges 
and the Brahmaputra River Basin, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 16

       Whereas some 400,000,000 people live in Bangladesh, 
     northern India, and Nepal near the Ganges and Brahmaputra 
     Rivers and their tributaries;
       Whereas these people comprise the largest concentration of 
     poor people in the world;
       Whereas this region lacks the resources, especially the 
     infrastructure, that can pull its residents out of poverty;
       Whereas almost every year flooding by the Ganges and 
     Brahmaputra Rivers produces death and destruction, sometimes 
     on a vast scale;
       Whereas during the dry seasons, water supplies do not meet 
     the needs of the region's people, especially farmers;
       Whereas despite these problems, the region has great 
     potential for development;
       Whereas Bangladesh, India, and Nepal have recognized for 
     many years that the water resources of the region, if 
     properly managed, could contribute greatly to the welfare of 
     millions of people in the region;
       Whereas the Governments of Bangladesh and India signed a 
     30-year agreement on December 12, 1996, for the purpose of 
     sharing the water of the Ganges River; and
       Whereas in 1996 the Governments of India and Nepal signed 
     and ratified a treaty enabling the joint development of the 
     water resources of the Mahakali River: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That the Congress--
       (1) congratulates the Governments of Bangladesh and India 
     for their recent agreement on sharing the water of the Ganges 
     River;
       (2) congratulates the Governments of India and Nepal on 
     their treaty enabling the joint development of the water 
     resources of the Mahakali River;
       (3) respectfully offers its encouragement for the three 
     governments to continue their cooperation which can do much 
     to relieve the poverty of those people living the Ganges and 
     Brahmaputra River Basin; and
       (4) urges international financial institutions, such as the 
     World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, and the 
     international community to offer whatever advice, 
     encouragement, and assistance is appropriate to help in this 
     effort.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York [Mr. Gilman] and the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Hilliard] each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman].
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the chairman and ranking 
minority member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific for 
crafting House Concurrent Resolution 16, a concurrent resolution 
concerning the urgent need to improve the living standards of those 
South Asians living in the Ganges and the Brahmaputra River Basin.
  Bangladesh, India, and Nepal all depend on the Ganges and the 
Brahmaputra Rivers for their vital irrigation needs. The recent signing 
of the 30-year water sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh and 
the ratification of the India-Nepal water resources treaty are both 
historic agreements that will enable the people in these lands to 
better plan and utilize their precious resources.
  Bangladesh's recent Presidential election gives new hope to the 
fragile democracy there, and the water sharing agreement will help to 
put it on more solid ground. We commend them for their efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the resolution, and I urge my colleagues to 
vote for it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter], the distinguished chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  House Concurrent Resolution 16 does concern the need to improve the 
living standards of those South Asians living in the Ganges and the 
Brahmaputra River Basin.

[[Page H837]]

  This bipartisan resolution was introduced on February 6, 1997 by this 
Member and cosponsored by the distinguished gentleman from New York, 
the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, Mr. Gilman; 
the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, the 
gentleman from California, Mr. Berman; the distinguished gentleman from 
New York, Mr. Ackerman; and the distinguished gentleman from 
California, Mr. Royce.
  Other Members have subsequently cosponsored this resolution. This 
Member commends the help and cooperation these Members have 
demonstrated in moving forward on this important issue.
  The Committee on International Relations unanimously approved this 
resolution last Thursday and asked it be placed on the suspension 
calendar this week. The resolution expresses the sense of the House of 
Representatives that there is an urgent need to improve the lives of 
those people of the Bangladesh, India and Nepal countries who live near 
the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries.
  This river basin has the greatest concentration of poor people in the 
world, greater than any area in Africa, for example. The region has 
great potential, but, regrettably, it is beset by natural disasters, 
including flooding during the monsoon seasons, droughts during the dry 
seasons, and occasional cyclones.
  Members will recall, perhaps, that during the last Congress this 
Member and the distinguished ranking member, the gentleman from 
California, Mr. Berman, introduced House Concurrent Resolution 213, 
which expressed the hope that the countries of that region would work 
together to relieve the poverty of the region's residents, focusing 
primarily on the need to address the critical problems of flooding and 
drought. That resolution was favorably reported by the Subcommittee on 
Asia and the Pacific just before the end of the 104th Congress.
  This Member is pleased to say that since that action, Bangladesh and 
India have signed a 30-year agreement on sharing the waters of the 
Ganges River. India and Nepal also have ratified a treaty that will 
permit their joint development of the Mahakali River water resources. 
These developments are very welcome.
  House Concurrent Resolution 16, therefore, congratulates the 
governments of Bangladesh, India, and Nepal for these achievements and 
respectfully encourages them to continue their cooperation, which could 
do much to relieve the poverty of those people living in the Ganges and 
Brahmaputra River Basins.
  This resolution also urges the world community, including the 
international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the 
Asian Development Bank, to provide whatever assistance is appropriate 
in this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, the Department of State has informed this Member that 
the agreement between Bangladesh and India on sharing the Ganges River 
water was signed on December 12, 1996, not January 13, 1997, as 
specified in House Concurrent Resolution 16. Therefore, the date has 
been changed to December 12, 1996.
  This Member urges his colleagues to vote for House Concurrent 
Resolution 16.

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
and I rise in strong support of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the gentleman from Nebraska for bringing 
this resolution before this body. The problem of equitable water 
sharing among the countries of South Asia has long plagued the region, 
and in many cases prevented the people of the region from enjoying 
anything beyond a bare minimum standard of living. In the past few 
months, however, India, Bangladesh, and Nepal have reached several 
water sharing and development agreements that will greatly contribute 
to the well-being of hundreds of millions of their citizens. This 
enlightened diplomacy should be encouraged generally, and really it is 
the whole purpose of this resolution.
  I thank the gentleman for leading the fight in this fashion on this 
resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. 
Pallone].
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to address my 
colleagues on this. I do support the resolution.
  I want to commend also the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter], 
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, the sponsor 
of the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I recently visited India, and I had the opportunity to 
meet with Prime Minister Gowda at the time. In citing the achievements 
of his multiparty coalition government, the Prime Minister mentioned 
with great pride the agreement that India signed last December with 
Bangladesh to share the water resources of one of the world's great 
rivers, the Ganges. While some critics have questioned whether such a 
broad coalition with so many diverse parties can govern effectively, 
the Prime Minister demonstrated that strong leadership can be brought 
to bear on an issue that literally affects the lives of hundreds of 
millions of people, and the agreement is a tribute to the leadership of 
both nations.
  Also last year, as was noted, the Governments of India and Nepal 
signed and ratified a treaty enabling the joint development of the 
water resources of the Mahakali River, again a tribute to cooperation 
between neighbors in a part of the world that has often been more 
marked by conflict.
  Mr. Speaker, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra River Basin comprises an 
area less than one-fifth the size of the United States but with twice 
as many people. Millions of people who reside in this area suffer from 
poverty and the effects of environment degradation. Yet, the area has 
great potential in terms of irrigation, fisheries, hydropower 
generation, and navigation.
  The agreements we celebrate today with this concurrent resolution 
begin the process of allowing that potential to be realized for the 
benefit of all the people in the region, but the people of these 
nations need some help and technical assistance. That is why it is 
important for us to encourage the World Bank, the Asian Development 
Bank, and the international community in general to provide the 
necessary support and encouragement, as this resolution does.
  Mr. Speaker, I wanted to say as co-chairman of the bipartisan 
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, I have tried to 
lobby our colleagues here as well as the administration to make 
America's relations with India a higher priority. India this year 
celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence. It is a democracy, 
and the country has for the past 5 years been pursuing a historic 
policy of economic reform. This is the second most populous nation on 
Earth and it offers huge potential for trade and investment. I am 
convinced that the current Government of India is committed to this 
path, as are the Indian people.
  Mr. Speaker, too often the relations between these two democracies, 
the United States and India, are marred by misunderstandings or simply 
by benign neglect. That is why it is important to send positive signals 
whenever possible. The resolution that we debate today will send just 
such a positive signal that the United States recognizes the efforts of 
the South Asian nations to foster greater regional cooperation and that 
we support these efforts. We hope these efforts will be the beginning 
of greater cooperation in South Asia and will serve as a model for 
other developing regions to better utilize their resources for the 
benefits of all their people.
  I want to congratulate again the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. 
Bereuter] and the others that have cosponsored this resolution.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
American Samoa [Mr. Faleomavaega].
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this 
resolution which congratulates the Governments of India, Bangladesh, 
and Nepal for their diplomacy and cooperation on water treaties that 
will improve the lives of over 400 million people that live near the 
Ganges and the Brahmaputra River Basins.
  I would commend the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter], the

[[Page H838]]

chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and 
the Pacific, for introducing this legislation. I further would like to 
commend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], the full committee 
chairman; the gentleman from California [Mr. Berman], the ranking 
member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific; and the gentleman 
from New York [Mr. Ackerman], and the gentleman from California [Mr. 
Royce] for their support of this measure as original cosponsors.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution supports the efforts of the Governments 
of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal over the past year to cooperate in 
sharing the waters of the Ganges River, as well as the joint 
development of the resources of the Mahakali River. Their efforts in 
negotiating treaties will help in the future to control water resources 
in the region, reducing flooding during rains, and providing water 
during droughts. Through this admirable cooperation by these 
Governments, it is projected that deaths and property destruction will 
be substantially reduced for the region's 400 million residents.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution further urges international financial 
institutions and the world community to assist the Governments of 
India, Bangladesh, and Nepal in this worthy endeavor.
  I strongly endorse this measure that supports progress to improve the 
lives of close to half a billion people in South Asia, and certainly 
would like to commend the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton], the 
senior ranking member of our Committee on International Relations, for 
his full support of this legislation.
  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Goodlatte). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, House 
Concurrent Resolution 16, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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