Dhaka has signalled that its future relationship with India will hinge on a new agreement to share Ganga river water, as the existing 30-year pact approaches its end.
The current treaty was signed in 1996 in the presence of then Indian Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. With the agreement set to expire this year, Bangladesh has been pressing for a fresh, long-term arrangement.
Amid political changes in Bangladesh over the past two years, the country is said to be adopting a new posture in its engagement with India. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Dhaka wants to convey a clear message to New Delhi that a new Ganga pact should be implemented immediately through discussions.
He said the opportunity to build good relations with India would depend on the new deal, adding that uncertainty over renewing the 30-year agreement has raised concerns about future river-water sharing. Until a new pact is signed, he said the current agreement should remain in force.
Fakhrul also argued that future water-sharing agreements between neighbouring countries should not be limited to fixed timeframes. He noted that nearly one-third of Bangladesh’s 170 million people depend on the river’s water for livelihoods, biodiversity and supply to multiple tributaries.
