Joint Water Measurements By India & Bangladesh as Ganges Treaty Nears Expiry

Syllabus: GS2/International Relations

Context

• India and Bangladesh have initiated a joint water measurement initiative on the Ganga and Padma rivers as the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty enters its final year before expiry in December 2026.

About the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996

• The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed on 12 December 1996 between India and Bangladesh, governs the sharing of Ganges waters at the Farakka Barrage, located in West Bengal, about 18 km upstream of the Bangladesh border.
• The treaty marked a major diplomatic breakthrough, ending decades of tension over Ganges water sharing that had strained bilateral relations since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.

Origins of the Ganges Water Dispute

• Construction of Farakka Barrage (1975): India completed the Farakka Barrage in 1975 to divert water into the Hooghly River.
  • Purpose was to flush out silt & improve navigability of the Kolkata Port.

Bangladesh’s Concerns

• As a lower riparian state, Bangladesh argued that reduced downstream flows:
  • Harmed agriculture and fisheries
  • Disrupted river navigation
  • Increased salinity intrusion in coastal areas
  • Threatened the Sundarbans ecosystem
• This disagreement became one of South Asia’s most persistent transboundary water disputes.

Steps Taken

• Five-year Ganges Agreement (Interim), 1977
• Memoranda of Understanding on Flow Sharing in 1982 & 1985
• Teesta Water Sharing Agreement: 2011; Proposed but unsigned.

Criticism and Challenges

• Bangladesh’s Concerns: insufficient flows during lean months, salinity intrusion, and loss of fish habitats.
• India’s Concerns: Rising water demand in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
• Climate Change Impacts: Altered monsoon patterns and glacier melt threaten future flow reliability.

Source: Money Control