‘Dhaka seeks restoration of 1977 guarantee’
Dhaka is hopeful of concluding a new Ganges water-sharing agreement with India before the expiry of the existing treaty on 12 December, with the reinstatement of the guarantee clause of the 1977 agreement emerging as its key priority.
Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee has also said that work is continuing to the proposed Padma Barrage could become visible by January-March next year, while the government plans to complete the feasibility study for the Teesta Master Plan by 2027 and begin implementation of the mega project in the same year.
He made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after a seminar titled “Rethinking the Future of Water: Youth Leadership, Justice and Cooperation”, organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in Dhaka on Thursday.
The Ganges treaty, signed in 1996 for 30 years, is due to expire on 12 December.
Bangladesh now wants a fresh, longer-term agreement rather than simply extending the existing arrangement, with a legally meaningful guarantee clause similar to the one contained in the 1977 agreement.
“Based on the meetings, we are hopeful that the treaty will be concluded before 12 December 2026. Our priority there will be to reinstate the ‘Guarantee Clause’ similar to the 1977 treaty,” Anee said.
Article II (specifically the provision widely known as the guarantee clause) of the 1977 Ganges Water Sharing Agreement ensured that downstream Bangladesh would receive a minimum of 80 per cent of its scheduled water share even if the actual flow at the Farakka Barrage fell below normal projections.
The minister recalled that the first Ganges water-sharing agreement was signed in 1977 for five years and contained a guarantee clause. However, when the agreement was replaced by the 1996 treaty, the guarantee clause was not retained.
“We emphasised this discussion during the seminar as well. Everyone agrees that by signing a new agreement, we can move forward for a longer term with the guarantee clause included,” he said.
He said Bangladesh and India were continuing their work through the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC), with technical teams already engaged in discussions.
“The technical team of the JRC is already working. Once their work is completed, the remaining process will be concluded at the ministerial level,” Anee said when asked whether a ministerial-level meeting would be held before the treaty expires.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir at the same event told the journalists that Bangladesh has formed a committee to strengthen water cooperation with India and has asked New Delhi to nominate its representatives so that formal discussions can begin.
“We want our fair share of water from India. Bangladesh has a position under international law on water-sharing issues.
To this end, Bangladesh has already formed a committee and we have asked the Indian side to nominate its representatives,” the state minister said.
“The elected government of Bangladesh will negotiate what is best for Bangladesh and will not seek any less.
We will seek what is equitable from India, backed by international law and the will of the people behind us at the negotiation table,” Kobir said.
He said the prospects for a settlement would depend on sincerity at the political and official levels.
“If there is sincerity between both countries-at the senior official level, leadership level, and among the water negotiators working from both sides… If the leadership possesses the mindset to come forward and cooperate, we will certainly achieve an amicable and positive resolution on this issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anee also replied to the journalists about the progress of Padma Barrage. “We hope that work will visibly commence anytime around January, February or March,” he said, adding that site visits had already been conducted.
According to the minister, the Padma Barrage and the Teesta Master Plan are strategic projects capable of transforming water management across a large part of Bangladesh.
“These are crucial mega projects, which can be called mastermind projects for Bangladesh,” he said, adding that nearly one-third of the country’s population, or around 70 million people, could benefit from them.
About the Teesta Master Plan, he said that the government would soon undertake a fresh feasibility study, drawing on technical expertise from both Bangladesh and abroad.
“The Teesta Master Plan is another major challenge.
It is a high-flow river. As upstream water flows into the downstream region from India, the people of that area have been living through this challenge for a long time,” he said.
He said the government had already consulted experts from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), as well as foreign specialists, and considered technical support essential before taking up the physical implementation of such a large project.
“Very soon, the feasibility study needs to be undertaken. Based on this study, we will begin the project work. Our focus is to complete everything by 2027 so that physical work can begin in 2027,” he said.
The minister acknowledged that a project of the scale and complexity of the Teesta Master Plan could not be prepared overnight.
“A mega project study like Teesta cannot be completed overnight or in a couple of months,” he said, arguing that previous efforts had not been completed with adequate technical support.
The government therefore intends to undertake the preparatory work itself, incorporating domestic and international expertise before proceeding to implementation.
