Bangladesh Pushes for New Ganges Water Deal With India as 1996 Pact Nears Expiry
Bangladesh is pushing for a new long-term agreement with India on sharing the waters of the Ganges as the existing 30-year treaty approaches its December 2026 expiry, with Dhaka seeking stronger guarantees for water availability during the dry season.
Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said on Thursday that Dhaka hopes a new agreement can be concluded before the current pact expires on December 12.
The minister said restoring a guarantee provision similar to the one included in the 1977 agreement is among Bangladesh's main priorities in negotiations with India.
Existing treaty set to expire in December
India and Bangladesh signed the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty on December 12, 1996. The agreement established a framework for allocating Ganges water during the dry-season period when river flows are significantly lower.
The treaty has governed water sharing for three decades and is scheduled to expire on December 12, 2026.
Under the existing arrangement, the amount of water allocated to the two countries depends on the flow measured at India's Farakka Barrage. The treaty contains different sharing formulas for different levels of river flow.
Bangladesh has argued that the next agreement should provide greater certainty over the amount of water available to it, particularly during the dry months.
Dhaka wants a guarantee clause
A key demand from Bangladesh is the restoration of a guarantee provision.
According to Bangladeshi officials, the 1977 agreement included a guarantee mechanism for water availability that was not retained in the 1996 treaty.
Anee said Bangladesh wants such a safeguard included in a new, longer-term agreement to protect its interests and ensure adequate dry-season flows.
Dhaka has also indicated that the next agreement should reflect changing conditions in the Ganges basin, including environmental and water-management challenges.
India points to Joint Rivers Commission
India has said that issues involving the Ganges and other rivers shared with Bangladesh will be discussed through the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC), the established bilateral mechanism for addressing transboundary river issues.
Indian officials have indicated that technical discussions concerning the Ganges treaty are continuing through the existing mechanisms.
The two countries share dozens of transboundary rivers, making water management a long-standing and sensitive part of India-Bangladesh relations.
Why the Ganges matters to Bangladesh
The Ganges, known as the Padma in Bangladesh, is important for agriculture, irrigation, fisheries, ecosystems and communities across the country.
Bangladesh has repeatedly raised concerns over dry-season water availability and the impact of reduced river flows on agriculture and the environment.
The negotiations are therefore about more than simply dividing river water. They also involve questions of long-term water security, river management, environmental sustainability and the needs of communities dependent on the river system.
A sensitive issue in India-Bangladesh ties
The treaty negotiations come at a time when relations between New Delhi and Dhaka are undergoing a period of adjustment.
Both governments have an interest in keeping discussions on shared rivers within established diplomatic channels. Bangladesh has formed a committee to examine the treaty and related water issues, while India has maintained that such matters should be handled through bilateral mechanisms including the Joint Rivers Commission.
The approaching December deadline increases pressure on both sides to determine whether they can agree on a new treaty, revise the existing framework or establish another arrangement before the current agreement expires.
For Bangladesh, securing a predictable dry-season water supply is expected to remain central to the negotiations. For India, any future arrangement will have to take into account the interests of its own river-dependent states as well as the broader framework of bilateral cooperation.
With only weeks remaining before the 1996 treaty reaches the end of its 30-year term, the Ganges negotiations are set to become an important test of India-Bangladesh water diplomacy.