The 30-year Ganga Water Sharing Agreement signed between India and Bangladesh in 1996 is set to expire in December 2026. Both sides have agreed to renew the agreement and are preparing to renew it. In continuation of this, officials of the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) of Bangladesh and India are meeting in Delhi on September 9.

Reliable sources in the Joint Rivers Commission said that a technical team led by Joint Rivers Commission member Mohammad Abul Hossain is scheduled to visit New Delhi from Dhaka to attend the meeting. The main discussion at the meeting will be the renewal of the Ganga Water Sharing Agreement.

When the Awami League was ousted from power in a student-public uprising, an interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus took over. After the government fell on August 5, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina fled to India. She is still there. Although Dhaka-Delhi relations have hit rock bottom due to the change in Bangladesh's position, the two sides are holding regular discussions on the water issue. In March this year, the Joint River Commission meeting was held in Delhi between the two sides. Bangladesh and India discuss the sharing of Ganga river water twice a year.

Bangladesh and India share 54 rivers. There is no agreement on the sharing of water for any other river except the Ganges. The question of Teesta water sharing is still unresolved. The main reason for this is the non-cooperation and objection of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with the central government.

The agreement on the sharing of Ganga water flowing between Bangladesh and India was signed in 1996. It was signed by the then Indian Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda and Sheikh Hasina. The agreement had a term of 30 years. That term is scheduled to expire next year. In June 2024, both countries announced that technical discussions have begun for the renewal of the 1996 Ganga River Water Agreement.

The Indian media outlet Press Trust of India (PTI) reported on August 1 that Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, in a written reply to a question in Parliament, said that bilateral talks between India and Bangladesh for the renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty have not yet begun. However, before this renewal, opinions have been received from all stakeholders, including the West Bengal government, on the amount of water required for domestic use and industries.

According to diplomatic sources, no minutes were signed at the Joint River Commission meeting held in Delhi in March as the two sides could not agree on some issues. Again, last year, both sides announced the start of talks to renew this treaty, but recently the relevant Minister of State in the Indian Parliament said that bilateral talks on this issue have not yet begun. It is not clear what Delhi actually wants to do in the upcoming meeting.

When asked, Joint River Commission member Mohammad Abul Hossain told Dhaka Post, “This is our routine meeting. Discussions are held on the implementation of the Ganga Treaty, whether the treaty is being implemented or not. We do not discuss any other agenda in these official discussions. We have 10-15 other agendas, we do not discuss them. The main discussion is on the implementation of the treaty.”

Meanwhile, a Foreign Office Consultation meeting was held between Bangladesh and India in Dhaka last December. In that meeting, the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries discussed the issue of renewal of the Ganga River Treaty. At that time, the then Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Md. Jasim Uddin said that inter-river issues have gained importance in the discussions. The Ganga River Water Sharing Treaty will expire in 2026. In that context, emphasis has been placed on the need to start the process of its renewal.

Officials of the Foreign Ministry said that the Bangladesh-India Joint River Commission meeting was held in Kolkata on March 6-7. The 86th meeting of the Joint Committee on the Ganges Water Sharing Agreement was held in Farakka on March 6 and the technical level meeting was held on March 7. This is a regular meeting between the two countries. The 85th meeting of the Joint Committee on the Ganges Water Sharing Agreement was held in Dhaka in November last year. In continuation of this, it was held in Kolkata this year. In this meeting, detailed discussions were held on the sharing of Ganges water.

On the other hand, various issues related to inter-boundary rivers between the two countries were discussed in the technical level meeting. This time too, the same has happened. Since the implementation of the Ganges Treaty in 1996, every year from January to May, the Ganges water is measured four times a day in the presence of a four-member team from Bangladesh and a four-member team from India, and the water is shared as per the agreement. And to review whether these issues are being implemented properly or not, high-level committees go from Delhi and Dhaka and whether the agreement is being implemented properly or whether we are getting the water we are supposed to get, these are the issues that are examined at that time.

According to the technical team's observations, the water sharing is being done properly as per the guidelines. However, Bangladesh has expressed concern that the Ganga water flow is low this time even though the agreement is being implemented properly and has urged India to take appropriate steps in this regard. In the Joint River Commission meeting held in March last year, no minutes were signed after the meeting due to the inability to reach a decision on some issues. However, this is not unusual. If the two sides in a meeting do not agree on one or more issues, the minutes may not be signed. Such incidents have happened in various meetings in the past. The two sides will try to sign it on the basis of consensus through diplomatic channels in the future.