Last Updated on October 8, 2026 7:07 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain, Dhaka
Bangladesh is hopeful of signing a new Ganga water-sharing agreement with India before December 12, when the existing 30-year treaty expires, water resources minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters after a seminar at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in Dhaka, Anee said Bangladesh was seeking a longer-term agreement with a “guarantee clause” similar to the one included in the 1977 pact.
The existing Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was signed on December 12, 1996, for 30 years.
“The 1977 agreement, signed during the lifetime of President Ziaur Rahman, included a guarantee clause for the first five years. But when the agreement was renewed or a new deal was signed in 1996, the guarantee clause was dropped,” Anee said.
“We have to reach a new agreement before 12 December. Accordingly, Bangladesh and India are working continuously through the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC),” he said.
“Based on the meetings, we are hopeful that the agreement will be concluded before 12 December 2026. Our main priority will be to restore a guarantee clause similar to that in the 1977 agreement,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s state minister for foreign affairs Humaiun Kobir said water-sharing disputes with India must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, taking international law into account.
“It is only through discussion, dialogue, and diplomacy that these matters will have to be resolved. The positions of international law are also being taken into consideration. So, this is where we stand right now,” Kobir told reporters after attending the BIISS seminar titled “Rethinking Water Futures: Youth Leadership, Justice and Cooperation.”
“Discussions and dialogues are ongoing and will continue,” he said, stressing the need for stronger regional cooperation.
Kobir said Bangladesh had formed a committee to examine water-sharing issues, while India was reviewing them through its own mechanisms.
“If there is sincerity between both countries…at the senior official level, leadership level, and among the water negotiators working from both sides…we will certainly achieve an amicable and positive resolution on this issue,” he said.
Emphasising political will, Kobir added, “If the leadership possesses the mindset to come forward and cooperate, we will certainly achieve an amicable and positive resolution.”
India and Bangladesh share 54 transboundary rivers, with the Joint Rivers Commission serving as the main bilateral platform for water-related discussions.
Bangladesh is seeking a renewed treaty that safeguards its interests, particularly adequate water flows during the dry season.
The BIISS seminar focused on water diplomacy through multilateral platforms, cooperation with like-minded countries, inclusive governance, public-private partnerships in transboundary water management and greater youth participation in water justice and decision-making.