Bangladesh has urged India to negotiate a renewal of the 1996 Ganges water-sharing treaty before the accord expires on December 12, warning that a failure to reach a new agreement threatens freshwater supplies and livelihoods for tens of millions of people downstream, Dawn reported.
Dry-Season Scarcity and Shrinking River Flows Along the Padma
In Bangladesh’s parched Barind region, 72-year-old Protestant priest Bikash Soren recalls when the Ganges, known locally as the Padma, carried large boats past his village year-round. Today, dry-season shortages leave the river bed barely visible for nearly three months annually. Dwindling water levels have damaged wheat and rice crops, leading to farmer suicides last season, according to local accounts. Fish catches have also dropped, prompting villagers like 52-year-old [keep name as written] Abu Bakar Siddique to abandon traditional catching methods for pond-based fish farming.
Treaty framework faces upstream pressures
The 30-year treaty governs dry-season water sharing at the Farakka Barrage situated 20 kilometers upstream in India. The agreement contains no automatic renewal clause. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, a prime ministerial adviser heading Bangladesh’s technical committee on water-sharing, stated that any new pact must rest on mutual benefit and respect. Malik Fida A. Khan, a former member of the Joint Rivers Commission, noted that India has constructed additional upstream dams and urged that future terms account for climate change and the entire river basin.
Internal Indian Political Friction From Bihar
As the December deadline approaches, the treaty faces political resistance from India’s upstream state of Bihar. Sanjay Kumar Jha, national working president of the Janata Dal United, argued in the Rajya Sabha on August 6 that the 1996 pact neglected Bihar’s water needs, leaving the state trapped in alternating cycles of severe summer scarcity and monsoon flooding. Citing 1997 state irrigation data, Bihar officials contend the barrage causes sediment accumulation and restricts regional irrigation, demanding assured lean-season allocations of 2,000 cusecs for drinking and industrial use.
Diplomatic stalls cause ecological consequences
Bangladesh reports that New Delhi has not responded to requests to open formal negotiations. India’s Ministry of External Affairs maintains that river matters fall under the purview of the Joint Rivers Commission, which held its last technical talks in May after a ministerial meeting gap stretching back to 2022. Meanwhile, environmentalist Sheikh Rokon of Riverine People warned that past treaty lapses caused severe damage, nearly drying up tributaries like the Gorai River, which supplies freshwater to the Sundarbans mangrove forest to combat rising saltwater intrusion.
Bangladesh presses India before Ganges water treaty expires.Bangladesh fears failure to strike a new deal could deepen water shortages, threatening tens of millions of livelihoodshttps://t.co/2r20784yCk pic.twitter.com/Pnqyh7vPPk
Farakka Barrage water sharing raises questions
What is the Farakka Barrage and how does it affect water sharing?
The Farakka Barrage was built by India in West Bengal to divert water into the Hooghly River to maintain the navigability of the Kolkata Port. Under the 1996 treaty, it dictates guaranteed water releases to downstream Bangladesh during the lean period from January to June.
How have recent political changes impacted bilateral talks?
Relations between New Delhi and Dhaka soured after former leader Sheikh Hasina fled to India following a 2024 uprising. Bangladesh states that India has not yet responded to formal requests to begin treaty renewal discussions.
What measures is Bangladesh taking to offset local water shortages?
In May, Dhaka approved a $2.8 billion dam project on the Padma designed to mitigate water scarcity and generate 113 megawatts of hydropower. However, existing irrigation initiatives like the Ganges-Kobadak project have already seen operational acreage shrink due to ongoing scarcity.