The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty will expire in 2026, three decades after it was signed. The pact must be renewed by mutual consent though New Delhi is looking for a new treaty that reflects its current development needs, ET has learnt.
The treaty, signed in 1996 during Sheikh Hasina’s first term as Bangladesh PM, laid out a formula to divide the flow of the Ganges at Farakka Barrage in West Bengal during the crucial dry season from January 1 to May 31 every year.
People said there is a need to rethink the treaty to ensure optimum balance in water sharing between West Bengal and Bangladesh. India is seeking a revision of the treaty as per its requirements of irrigation, port maintenance, and power generation, the people said.
The 1996 treaty’s aim on sharing the waters at Farakka was to settle differences over entitlement to the river’s water flows between India and Bangladesh. These differences emerged after the commissioning of the Farakka barrage in 1975 to divert water from the Ganges to the Hooghly River to maintain the Calcutta port’s navigability.
Under the treaty, the upper riparian state, India, and lower riparian, Bangladesh, agreed to share the Ganges water at Farakka – a dam built on river Bhagirathi, around 10 km from the Bangladesh border.The Farakka Barrage was built to divert 40,000 cusecs of water into a feeder canal for the Kolkata Port Trust. Under the current arrangement, 35,000 cusecs of water are provided alternately for 10 days each to both countries during the lean season – from March 11 to May 11. India is desiring 30,000 to 35,000 cusecs more during the same period to meet its emerging requirements, people said.The West Bengal government is also understood to share the Centre’s stand on the issue and is of the opinion that the current provisions of the treaty do not meet its requirements.