Ties with India to depend on Ganges water-sharing treaty: Bangladesh Minister

The BNP said Bangladesh's relations with India depend on a new Ganges water-sharing treaty before the current pact expires. The remarks came amid debate over Dhaka's planned Padma barrage and India's insistence on bilateral mechanisms.

In Short

• Current treaty expires in December, BNP urges fresh agreement soon
• Bangladesh approves Padma Barrage project to offset Farakka Barrage impact
• India says all water issues addressed via existing bilateral mechanisms

Bangladesh’s ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday linked the future of Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi to the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, pressing India for immediate negotiations on a fresh agreement that reflects Bangladesh’s “expectations and needs”.

The existing Indo-Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed in 1996 during the tenure of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is set to expire in December this year.

Addressing an event in Dhaka, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Bangladesh wanted to send a “clear message” to India that a new agreement must be finalised through discussions in line with the interests of the Bangladeshi people.

“The opportunity to establish good relations with India will depend on the signing of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty or the Farakka Agreement,” Alamgir said.

He also argued that the current agreement should remain operational until a new pact is signed, and suggested that future water-sharing arrangements between the two neighbours should not be restricted to a fixed tenure.

WHY THE GANGES ISSUE HOLDS WATER

The Ganges river, known as the Padma after entering Bangladesh through Chapai Nawabganj district, remains crucial for the lower riparian nation’s agriculture, biodiversity and water supply systems.

Bangladesh, criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers including 54 that either originate in or flow through India, depends heavily on transboundary water-sharing arrangements. According to Alamgir, nearly one-third of Bangladesh’s 170 million population relies on the river system for livelihoods and ecological sustainability.

The Farakka issue has long remained politically and emotionally sensitive in Bangladesh. Successive governments and water experts in the country have argued that reduced dry-season flows downstream due to the Farakka Barrage have worsened salinity intrusion, damaged river systems and hurt agriculture and ecology in several regions.

India, however, has consistently maintained that the Farakka Barrage was constructed primarily to maintain navigability at Kolkata Port by diverting water into the Hooghly river to flush out sediment.

BANGLADESH’S PADMA BARRAGE PLAN SPARKS DEBATE

The BNP leader’s remarks came days after Bangladesh approved a mega infrastructure project to build a barrage on the Padma river, a move Dhaka says is aimed at offsetting the “negative impact” of the Farakka Barrage in India’s West Bengal.

The project, expected to be completed by 2033, received approval earlier this week from Bangladesh’s Executive Committee of the National Economic Council during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said the proposed Padma Barrage was entirely linked to Bangladesh’s national interests and did not require consultations with India.

“Discussions are necessary regarding the Ganges, and those are ongoing,” Anee told reporters after the meeting.

However, the project has triggered mixed reactions among experts. Leading water expert Ainun Nishat, who played a key role in drafting the original Ganges treaty, cautiously welcomed the initiative but noted that its effectiveness would depend heavily on the continuation of the bilateral water-sharing agreement.

Several other experts warned that the proposed barrage could potentially worsen sediment deposition and raise riverbeds within Bangladesh, intensifying some of the concerns already associated with the Farakka Barrage.

INDIA SAYS EXISTING MECHANISMS ARE IN PLACE

India has maintained that all water-related issues with Bangladesh are being addressed through established bilateral mechanisms.

Earlier this month, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers and already have structured platforms for discussions on transboundary water concerns.

“Between India and Bangladesh, we have 54 rivers, which the two countries share. We have structured bilateral mechanisms to discuss all water-related issues, and these bilateral mechanisms continue to meet at regular intervals,” Jaiswal said during a media briefing.

During the same briefing, Jaiswal also reiterated India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty, saying the treaty remained “in abeyance” due to Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism.

Referring to Operation Sindoor, he said India had every right to defend itself against terrorism and described Pakistan’s use of cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy.

- Ends