Renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty between Bangladesh and India seems destined for a crisis as both the countries have opposing stances over how the water of the common river should be shared, with the 30-year deal expiring in December.
Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri has recently said that water was always a priority for them among the bilateral issues as the two countries share at least 54 rivers and they have a water sharing treaty only for the Ganges.
Meanwhile, former Indian diplomat Pankaj Saran has said that the water sharing formula based on the historic flows of waters of 40 years from 1949 to 1988 might not work anymore for the renewed Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996.
In an interaction with a media delegation from Bangladesh on May 5 in New Delhi, he said population had grown and the water flow had decreased, which he termed as the ‘new reality’ for the renewal of the deal.
‘Ganges water sharing formula (in the 1996 treaty) may not work anymore after 30 years. Things have changed a lot,’ said Pankaj, convener of NatStrat, a Delhi-based independent think tank for research on strategic and security issues.
Referring to the water sharing formula stipulated in the annexure of the water treaty signed between India and Bangladesh in 1996, Pankaj, a former Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, suggested considering the water flows of the immediate past 40 years as both the countries were preparinag for negotiations over the renewal of the treaty.
Indian has long been withdrawing waters from common rivers unilaterally, affecting lives and livelihoods in lower riparian Bangladesh, according to experts and officials in Dhaka, who think that the new formula, if implemented, would further deprive Bangladesh of its rightful share of water as the water level at Farakka point has dropped over the years.
Former Joint Rivers Commission, Bangladesh member and water resources expert Ainun Nishat said that India was unilaterally withdrawing waters from the Ganges at its upstream, reducing the water flow at Farakka point.
‘The River Ganges does not begin at Farakka. It has a huge water flow at its upstream from where water is being withdrawn unilaterally, reducing flow along the border and affecting Bangladesh,’ he said.
About the Teesta development project implementation being discussed with China, retired diplomat Pankaj said that it was a choice of Bangladesh.
‘The Teesta is a common river. It’s a matter of concern to some extent for India,’ he observed, saying that solutions were known to all, but it needs political willingness’ as the signing of the Teesta water sharing treaty left pending for India’s decision since 2011.
In another interaction session with the Bangladesh media delegation, Indian foreign secretary Vikram Mistri on May 4 at his office in New Delhi said that they were ready to engage with the new government led by Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman to discuss all the outstanding issues including water.
He hoped that the JRC, being a technical framework to deal with the issues of common rivers, would be able engage timely for the renewal of the Ganges water treaty, which he termed as a successful one.
Asked whether the issue of treaty renewal was raised at the technical level under the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission, water resources secretary AKM Shahabuddin on Monday said in Dhaka that he would not make any remark on the issue at this stage.
JRC, Bangladesh member Md Anwar Kadir also declined to comment on the issue.
Senior officials concerned at the water resources ministry and the JRC, Bangladesh, however, said everything would be discussed during the negotiation on the renewal of the Ganges water treaty.
The last ministerial meeting of the JRC concluded in New Delhi in August, 2022 after a gap of 12 years without any progress in signing a much-awaited Teesta water sharing deal and in the negotiations on six other trans-boundary rivers.
Both sides agreed to conduct a feasibility study for an optimum utilisation of the water received by Bangladesh under the provision of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty.
Dhaka has already raised the issue of the renewal of Ganges Water Sharing Treaty that specifies water sharing during the dry season (January-May).
