Ganges water-sharing talks to take place under existing bilateral mechanism: India

Highlights

• India reiterates existing mechanism for Ganges talks
• Treaty expires after three decades in December
• Bangladesh expects positive movement on renewal
• Experts urge climate-focused approach to agreement

India has reiterated that talks with Bangladesh on a new Ganges water-sharing treaty will take place under the existing bilateral mechanisms for cooperation on common rivers.

Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remark at a biweekly media briefing in New Delhi today (4 August).

Responding to a question about a recommendation by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs to resume negotiations with Bangladesh on the Ganges water agreement, he said, " Bangladesh and India share 54 common rivers. There is the Joint River Commission and several technical-level meetings on the common rivers water-sharing."

He also added that talks on Ganges water-sharing would take place through the existing structured bilateral mechanisms.

Earlier, on 9 July, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said discussions on renewing the Ganges Water Treaty were moving in a positive direction.

"I think it is moving in a positive direction. I hope India will understand its importance and come forward accordingly," she told reporters when asked about the treaty's renewal, according to UNB.

The treaty needs to be "reviewed and reformed comprehensively" before a new agreement is reached, experts have said.

They recommended involving economists, urban planners, sociologists and environmentalists in the planning process, noting that Bangladesh faces significant risks if the waters are not shared appropriately.

Officials have warned that Bangladesh's agriculture and food availability could be severely affected, while climate vulnerability could increase substantially if the treaty expires without a new water-sharing agreement.

The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was signed on 12 December 1996 for 30 years, making 2026 its final year.

The two countries have the Joint Rivers Commission as a bilateral mechanism for discussing issues related to their cooperation on the 54 common rivers.

Former Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tariq A Karim said the 1996 treaty demonstrated that cooperation was possible even on sensitive issues.

"But the treaty is due to expire in December 2026, and its renewal will test whether the region can adapt old agreements to new hydrological and climatic realities," he said at a recent seminar.

The former diplomat, who also served as Bangladesh ambassador to the US, said water, food, energy, health, disaster management and climate resilience should be treated as regional public goods.

"No country can secure them alone," he said.

Karim said ecological considerations could provide South Asia with a strong basis for renewed cooperation.

He proposed shared river-basin management, early-warning systems, climate adaptation financing, joint research and a regional ecological security dialogue.

"Such cooperation would not require states to surrender sovereignty. It would require them to recognise that sovereignty in an age of climate stress is strengthened – not weakened – by cooperation achieved through its pooling," he said.

International affairs expert Professor Shahab Enam Khan told UNB that Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to undertake extensive preparations, with data sharing being crucial.

"MoFA has to do a lot of homework, and data sharing is key. We need to keep in mind that the situation in 1996 and 2026 is not the same," he said.

"This can't be seen only from engineering or diplomatic prisms; they should include economists, urban planners, and sociologists in the planning," he added.