Bangladesh seeks new Ganges water-sharing treaty with guarantee clause
Water resources minister says Dhaka wants guarantee clauses to ensure its due share during the dry season and prevent excessive flows during the monsoon.
Bangladesh is seeking a new treaty on sharing Ganges waters rather than renewing the 1996 agreement, which is set to expire on 12 December this year, Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said today (24 September).
Speaking at the opening session of the second day of the two-day "Kollolini: A River Dialogue 2026" at a Dhaka hotel, Anee said the Joint Rivers Commission was working on a fresh agreement with guarantee clauses to ensure Bangladesh receives its due share of Ganges water during the dry season.
As a lower riparian country, Bangladesh needs guaranteed water flows during the dry season, he said.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"Bangladesh will also take a strong stance to prevent excessive water flow during the monsoon, which causes flooding and agricultural and economic losses every year," Anee said.
He said the government was working to protect Bangladesh's interests in negotiations over the new agreement.
The latest comments come as Bangladesh awaits India's response to its proposal for a new agreement following the expiry of the existing treaty.
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal recently said issues relating to the Ganges Water Treaty would be discussed under the framework of the bilateral JRC.
"The Ganga Water Treaty was signed in 1996 for a period of 30 years and all water-related issues, river-related issues between India and Bangladesh are discussed as part of the agenda of the bilateral Joint Rivers Commission," he told reporters in New Delhi.
He also said further meetings of the Joint Committee of the Ganges Water Treaty were continuing at the technical level.
Bangladesh has already formed a team to prepare a new agreement and informed Indian authorities, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman said in Parliament on 27 August.
"We are now waiting for their response," he said, replying to a supplementary question from Bagerhat-4 lawmaker Abdul Aleem.
Khalilur said the government remained committed to securing Bangladesh's fair share of water from common rivers while preserving the rights of its people.
Bangladesh and India share 54 rivers, including the Ganges, or Ganga. The Bangladesh-India Ganges Water Treaty was signed on 12 December 1996 for 30 years.
Khalilur has previously said Bangladesh wants either a new or revised treaty that ensures the essential water needs of its people.
"These are common rivers, and we have common legacies here, common interests and, as I said, there's no other alternative but to seek a solution that is durable and will win public trust," he told NDTV on the sidelines of the ninth Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius.
He said such an agreement would also be important for building the foundation of Bangladesh-India relations over the next several decades.
Experts have also called for a comprehensive review of the treaty before negotiating a renewed agreement, suggesting that economists, urban planners, sociologists and environmentalists should be involved in the process.
