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India and Bangladesh: the relationship, its agreements and its disputes.
Showing 1 of 3 articles, those that changed from 1 to 31 August 2026.Show all
The Ganga Waters Treaty and Farakka
Copy link to The Ganga Waters Treaty and FarakkaPrelims and Mains
LeadRenewing the Ganga Waters Treaty before it expiresAugust 2026
Why in news
The Ganga Waters Treaty of 1996 expires in December 2026. Bangladesh asked in June for talks on a new agreement, and on 29 August 2026 India said the matter would be discussed in the bilateral Joint Rivers Commission.
Background
- The Farakka Barrage, commissioned in 1975, diverts Ganga water into the Hooghly to keep Kolkata port navigable. Downstream, Bangladesh depends on the same water in the dry months.
- Short term arrangements of 1977 and later memoranda lapsed, leaving years without any agreement.
- The treaty was signed on 12 December 1996 for thirty years. It covers only the lean season, 1 January to 31 May, and shares the flow at Farakka in ten day blocks.
- India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers; the Joint Rivers Commission dates from 1972.
How the treaty shares water
- Above 75,000 cusecs at Farakka, India takes 40,000 and Bangladesh the rest.
- Between 70,000 and 75,000 cusecs, Bangladesh gets 35,000 and India the rest.
- Below 70,000 cusecs, the two share equally.
- In the driest weeks each is guaranteed 35,000 cusecs in alternate ten day periods.
Why renewal is contested
- Hydrology has changed: upstream irrigation, silt and climate variability have cut lean season flows since the 1990s, so the bands may no longer match the river.
- Bangladesh has formed a team for a new agreement, and its experts argue for a revised treaty, with economists and environmental specialists at the table, not a rollover.
- Politics in Dhaka: a new government since February 2026 is still settling its relations with India.
- India's federal angle: West Bengal's objections blocked the Teesta agreement in 2011, and no Ganga arrangement works without the State.
India's stakes
- Kolkata port and the Hooghly's health on one side; a stable eastern neighbour on the other.
- A lapse would leave a legal vacuum in the 2027 dry season, the first since 1996.
- Water is among the most sensitive issues between the two publics; a fair renewal is India's best chance to rebuild trust.
The way forward
- A short extension of the present treaty while a revised one is negotiated, to avoid a vacuum.
- Widen the talks into basin cooperation: shared data, flood forecasting and the Teesta.
- Bring West Bengal into the process early, as the Constitution's division of water powers requires in practice.
- Build joint storage upstream, which both sides have discussed for decades.
Prelims facts
- Treaty signed 12 December 1996, valid 30 years, expires December 2026.
- Covers the lean season 1 January to 31 May, measured at Farakka.
- Below 70,000 cusecs the flow is shared equally.
- India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers; the Joint Rivers Commission dates from 1972.
- The Farakka Barrage feeds the Hooghly to keep Kolkata port navigable.
The Farakka Barrage, commissioned in 1975 on the Ganga in West Bengal, diverts water into the Bhagirathi Hooghly to keep Kolkata port navigable, a purpose inside India rather than at the border.
- On the Ganga India is the upstream State and Bangladesh the downstream one, the reverse of India's position on the Brahmaputra.
- The 1996 India Bangladesh Ganga Water Sharing Treaty shares the lean season flow at Farakka; Bangladesh gets half the flow when it is below 70,000 cusecs, and in March to May each side gets at least 35,000 cusecs in alternating ten day periods.
- The treaty expires in December 2026, and both countries say talks to extend it are under way.
- Reduced flow downstream has dried rivers, lowered groundwater, raised salinity and cut fresh water to the Sundarbans.
- Bihar, upstream of the barrage, blames it for trapping silt and worsening its floods, a contested claim.
The 1996 Ganges Water Treaty formula
| When | How the flow is shared |
|---|---|
| Flow below 70,000 cusecs | Half each |
| March to May | At least 35,000 cusecs to each side in alternating ten day periods |
What changed
29 Aug 2026LeadRenewing the Ganga Waters Treaty before it expires
Show history (3 other updates)
24 Sep 2026Briefnewly addedBangladesh said it wants a new relationship with India through direct bilateral talks, and on 23 September it suspended imports of hilsa from India through the Benapole land port. News On AIR, 14 Sep 2026: Bangladesh seeks new relationship with India through bilateral talks, says MoS Humaiyun Kobir (opens in a new tab) · News On AIR, 24 Sep 2026: Bangladesh importers express concern over financial losses following sudden suspension of hilsa imports (opens in a new tab)
15 Jun 2026
- Bangladesh approved a barrage on the Padma downstream of Farakka.
- A slower Padma drops silt on its bed and floods faster in the monsoon.
Mains: Experts argue big barrages rarely manage complex river systems and favour a series of smaller check dams, and note that Chinese involvement could weaken India's standing as the region's water actor.
The Hindu, 15 Jun 2026: Dhaka's new Padma barrage will reshape South Asia's water power map (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 1 Jun 2026: What is Bangladesh's Padma Barrage? (opens in a new tab)
8 Jun 2026newly added
- Bangladesh formally asked to open talks on renewing the Ganga Waters Treaty of 1996, which governs sharing at Farakka and expires in December 2026.
- India said it would engage through the Joint Rivers Commission once dates suit both sides.