Our Bureau
Dhaka
Bangladesh is urging India to sign a new Ganges water‑sharing treaty before the existing 1996 agreement ends in December 2026, officials in Dhaka said on Saturday. The current Indo‑Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed three decades ago, is set to expire after 30 years.
Dhaka’s ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has made renewal a key condition for future bilateral ties. Party leaders have ordered the government to begin “immediate talks” with New Delhi on a fresh pact that reflects Bangladesh’s water needs and expectations.
The river known as the Ganga in India becomes the Padma once it enters Bangladesh, forming a major lifeline for agriculture, drinking water and ecology in the lower riparian country. Under the 1996 pact, India and Bangladesh share the Ganges flow at the Farakka Barrage, but Dhaka has repeatedly complained that the actual water released during the dry season is often less than promised.
With the treaty’s expiry date approaching, Bangladeshi ministers have publicly linked the state of India‑Bangladesh relations to the successful renewal of a fairer water‑sharing deal. At the same time, Bangladesh has approved a major Padma barrage project on the Padma River to tackle water crisis.
