Bangladeshi, Indian engineers monitor water flows under Ganges Water Sharing Treaty

Bangladeshi and Indian engineers are currently monitoring water flows at key points to ensure compliance with the 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty.

Four Bangladeshi engineers are stationed at Farakka in India to measure river discharge, while two Indian engineers are in Bangladesh at the Hardinge Bridge to verify that allocated water reaches the country.

Joint River Commission sources said representatives from both countries have been present at the monitoring points since 1 January and will continue until 31 May.

"Every year, engineers from both countries measure flows at Farakka and Hardinge Bridge. This is routine work," said Mohammad Abu Sayed, director of the Bangladesh Joint River Commission. 

"At Farakka, we check whether water is being released for Bangladesh as agreed. At Hardinge Bridge, we verify that the released water actually reaches Bangladesh."

The agreement, signed on 12 December 1996 in New Delhi by then Indian prime minister HD Deve Gowda and then Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, is valid for 30 years. 

Under the treaty, from 1 January to 31 May each year, water from the Ganges at Farakka in West Bengal is shared between the two countries.

The agreement stipulates that if the river flow at Farakka is up to 70,000 cusecs, the water is split equally. If flow exceeds 70,000 cusecs but is below 75,000 cusecs, Bangladesh receives a maximum of 36,000 cusecs, with the remainder going to India. 

If flow surpasses 75,000 cusecs, India retains 40,000 cusecs, and the rest is allocated to Bangladesh. Allocation is calculated in ten-day intervals.

A guaranteed flow of 35,000 cusecs is ensured for each country in alternating ten-day periods from 11 March to 10 May, when river flow is typically lower. The current treaty expires in December 2026.

Bangladesh and India share 54 rivers, but only the Ganges has a formal water-sharing agreement. Negotiations over Teesta River water have long stalled due to objections from West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Relations between the two countries have heated up since the fall of Hasina's government in August 2024. However, Joint River Commission meetings have continued, including two in Dhaka, one in Delhi, and one in Kolkata, most recently on 9 September in New Delhi.

Commission sources said both countries have agreed in principle to renew the Ganga water-sharing treaty. Formal negotiations are expected to begin once the elected Bangladeshi government assumes office.