Ganges water sharing treaty to be discussed within existing bilateral mechanisms: India
The treaty was signed between India and Bangladesh in 1996 and it expires in December this year.
India today (2 June) said the Ganges water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh would be looked at within the existing framework of bilateral mechanisms including the Joint River Commission.
"We have several rivers – 54, in fact – that are shared between India and Bangladesh. We have a Joint Rivers Commission, a structured bilateral mechanism to deal with issues pertaining to all the rivers shared by the two countries. Regarding the question you asked, we will also be looking at these issues as part of our structured bilateral collaboration on water and river-related matters," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
He was responding to a pointed question on recent remarks by BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir regarding the Ganges water sharing agreement.
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Fakhrul had reportedly said that the future of strong ties between Bangladesh and India hinges on the renewal of the Ganges water sharing agreement, also commonly known as the Farakka Treaty.
The treaty was signed between India and Bangladesh in 1996 and it expires in December this year.
Technical experts of Bangladesh and India had last month visited Farakka to assess the availability of water there during the lean months and later held talks in Kolkata.
