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Wednesday | November 11, 2026 | Dhaka

Dhaka moves to renew Ganges treaty

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 11 November 2026

Bangladesh is preparing to renegotiate its water-sharing arrangement with India as the 30-year Ganges Water Sharing Agreement approaches expiry in December 2026, with the government seeking to secure an equitable share of the river’s water and reach a long-awaited deal on the Teesta.

Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee told Parliament on Monday that a high-level technical committee had already been formed to negotiate a new Ganges agreement, while efforts were under way to reach water-sharing arrangements for the Teesta and other transboundary rivers.

“The government has already formed a high-level technical committee to sign the new agreement. The technical committee is working by considering all issues related to Bangladesh’s interests,” he said.

The minister made the remarks in a written reply to a question from independent lawmaker Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal of Kishoreganj-5.

In response to another question from the same MP, Anee said the 30-year Ganges Water Sharing Agreement, signed between Bangladesh and India in 1996, would expire in December 2026.

“The government has already formed a high-level technical committee to sign the new agreement. The technical committee is working by considering all issues related to Bangladesh’s interests,” he said.

The minister’s replies were delivered by State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad during Monday’s question-and-answer session in Parliament, as Anee was absent.

The day’s parliamentary proceedings began at 4:20pm, with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, in the chair.

Under the existing agreement, Bangladesh and India have shared the Ganges water flowing through the Farakka point during the dry season, from January to May, each year between 1997 and 2026.

The agreement’s Schedule-1 sets out a formula for distributing the available water based on the flow recorded at Farakka.

If the flow reaches 75,000 cusecs or more, India receives 40,000 cusecs, while Bangladesh gets the remaining volume.

When the flow ranges between 70,000 and 75,000 cusecs, Bangladesh receives 35,000 cusecs and India gets the remainder. If the flow falls below 70,000 cusecs, the water is generally divided equally between the two countries, except during six specified 10-day periods between 11 March and 10 May.

The agreement also provides guaranteed allocations during three 10-day periods for each country when the flow at Farakka falls below 70,000 cusecs.

Under the provision, Bangladesh is guaranteed 35,000 cusecs during 11-20 March, 1-10 April and 21-30 April. India is guaranteed the same volume during 21-31 March, 11-20 April and 1-10 May.

As the existing agreement approaches expiry, the proposed negotiations are expected to focus on securing Bangladesh’s interests in the sharing of Ganges water, alongside efforts to reach an agreement on the long-standing Teesta water-sharing issue.