A high amount of silt deposit on the bed of the Teesta combined with the hydel power projects upstream in Sikkim and Bengal has reduced the flow and the volume of water in the river, an expert report has said. Around 10 million tonnes of silt is deposited on the riverbed in monsoon. The figure comes down to 2.50 million tonnes during the lean season, river expert Kalyan Rudra said in his report. Rudra was on a two-day visit to north Bengal and toured several locations in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts through which the Teesta flows before entering Bangladesh. “This deposit of silt reduces the water carrying capacity of the river. Further, the hydel power projects which came up upstream have also reduced the volume of water flow,” said Rudra. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had asked Rudra to find out if it was feasible to share Teesta water with Bangladesh without affecting the interests of north Bengal. Mamata had pulled out of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Dhaka trip in September, airing her objections to the Teesta water-sharing treaty that India was expected to sign with Bangladesh. “These constraints and other factors — one of them being the requirement of water at the barrage particularly during the lean season — have to be taken into consideration before deciding how much water can be shared with Bangladesh. We are also waiting for some data from the Central Water Commission to compile the final report,” Rudra added. Accompanied by officials of the Teesta Barrage Project, Rudra visited Gajoledoba, Domohoni and Haldibari. He said he was yet to get data like how much water flows down from Sikkim and the volume carried by the Mahananda, Karala and Dharala before emptying into the Teesta. “The chief minister does not want the issue to persist and once the state takes a final stand, the Centre will be informed,” Rudra said.