Bihar concern clouds renewal

The future of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty between Bangladesh and India is facing a fresh complication, with a senior Indian politician opposing its renewal in its existing form and arguing that the agreement has adversely affected Bihar’s interests.

Janata Dal (United) national working president Sanjay Jha, who served as Bihar’s water resources minister from 2021 to 2024, said the data accumulated over the three decades since the treaty was signed showed that the Indian state had been negatively affected.

“If you look at the data in the last 30 years of the treaty being in place, you can clearly see that the interests of Bihar have been negatively impacted,” Jha said in an interview with The Hindu.

“If you have diplomatic issues to sort out between the two countries, my only point is that Bihar’s interests, too, must be kept in mind,” he said, adding that although the treaty may have helped India in terms of international messaging, it had harmed Bihar’s interests.

The remarks come at a crucial stage in Bangladesh-India water diplomacy.

The Ganga Water Treaty, signed on 12 December 1996, is due to expire on 31 December 2026, but the two countries have yet to hold the final round of negotiations on its renewal amid broader political tensions.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not yet responded to The Hindu’s queries regarding Jha’s remarks.

Treaty at centre of river-sharing debate
The Ganga treaty governs the sharing of Ganga waters between the two countries during the dry season and has long been a central issue in Bangladesh-India river diplomacy.

The agreement was signed during Sheikh Hasina’s first term as Bangladesh prime minister, after the Awami League returned to power.

Hasina has been living in India since 5 August 2024, following the fall of her government amid a popular uprising in Bangladesh.

The treaty’s approaching expiry has added urgency to efforts to address long-standing concerns over transboundary river management.

Its renewal is expected to require both sides to balance national water needs with the interests of affected regions and communities.

Politics complicate renewal
The treaty negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of strained Bangladesh-India relations.

Earlier this month, Dhaka said the two countries had been holding discussions for “several weeks” over a possible visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

However, Bangladesh said the atmosphere had been “vitiated” by a virtual press conference held by Hasina on 5 August at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi.

The renewal of the Ganga treaty was expected to be among the key issues in any potential meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tarique.

Technical assessment resumes
Following Tarique Rahman’s election victory, Bangladesh sent a delegation to India in May for a meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission in Kolkata.

The delegation also visited Farakka and conducted a technical assessment.

The engagement marked an effort to revive technical-level discussions on shared river management after a period of limited progress.

With the treaty deadline approaching, the two sides now face the challenge of completing negotiations while addressing competing water demands and political sensitivities.

Jha’s call to reconsider the agreement in its existing form also brings the concerns of Bihar into sharper focus, potentially adding another layer to an already complex renewal process.