The BNP said Bangladesh’s relations with India depend on a new Ganges water-sharing treaty before the current pact expires. The remarks came amid debate over Dhaka’s planned Padma barrage and India’s insistence on bilateral mechanisms.
Bangladesh’s ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday linked the future of Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi to the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, pressing India for immediate negotiations on a fresh agreement that reflects Bangladesh’s “expectations and needs”.
The existing Indo-Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed in 1996 during the tenure of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is set to expire in December this year.
Addressing an event in Dhaka, BNP secretary general and Minister of Rural Development and Co-operatives Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Bangladesh wanted to send a “clear message” to India that a new agreement must be finalised through discussions in line with the interests of the Bangladeshi people.
“The opportunity to establish good relations with India will depend on the signing of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty or the Farakka Agreement,” Alamgir said.
He also argued that the current agreement should remain operational until a new pact is signed, and suggested that future water-sharing arrangements between the two neighbours should not be restricted to a fixed tenure.
WHY THE GANGES ISSUE HOLDS WATER
The Ganges river, known as the Padma after entering Bangladesh through Chapai Nawabganj district, remains crucial for the lower riparian nation’s agriculture, biodiversity and water supply systems.
Bangladesh, criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers including 54 that either originate in or flow through India, depends heavily on transboundary water-sharing arrangements. According to Alamgir, nearly one-third of Bangladesh’s 170 million population relies on the river system for livelihoods and ecological sustainability.
The Farakka issue has long remained politically and emotionally sensitive in Bangladesh. Successive governments and water experts in the country have argued that reduced dry-season flows downstream due to the Farakka Barrage have worsened salinity intrusion, damaged river systems and hurt agriculture and ecology in several regions.
India, however, has consistently maintained that the Farakka Barrage was constructed primarily to maintain navigability at Kolkata Port by diverting water into the Hooghly river to flush out sediment.
BANGLADESH’S PADMA BARRAGE PLAN SPARKS DEBATE
The BNP leader’s remarks came days after Bangladesh approved a mega project to build a barrage on the Padma river, which Dhaka says is aimed at offsetting the “negative impact” of the Farakka Barrage.
The project, expected to be completed by 2033, was cleared earlier this week by Bangladesh’s Executive Committee of the National Economic Council during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said the proposed barrage was linked to Bangladesh’s national interests and did not require consultations with India. “Discussions are necessary regarding the Ganges, and those are ongoing,” Anee said after the meeting.
The project has drawn mixed reactions from experts. Water expert Ainun Nishat, who helped draft the original Ganges treaty, cautiously welcomed the initiative but said its effectiveness would depend on continuation of the water-sharing pact with India.
Other experts warned the proposed barrage could worsen sediment accumulation and raise riverbeds in Bangladesh, potentially intensifying concerns already linked to the Farakka Barrage.
BNP EARLIER BLAMED MAMATA OVER TEESTA IMPASSE
Earlier this month, BNP leaders had also criticised former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement.
Talking to news agency ANI, BNP Information Secretary Azizul Baree Helal accused Banerjee’s government of blocking progress on the proposed Teesta pact between India and Bangladesh.
Helal had simultaneously welcomed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in West Bengal, saying the result could strengthen ties between Bangladesh and the neighbouring Indian state.
Praising the BJP’s performance under Suvendu Adhikari, he expressed hope that a political shift in West Bengal could help revive negotiations on the Teesta agreement, which has remained unresolved for years.
He also said closer coordination between Dhaka and Kolkata could positively impact broader cross-border relations, noting that West Bengal shares Bangladesh’s longest land border among Indian states.
INDIA SAYS EXISTING MECHANISMS ARE IN PLACE
India has maintained that all water-related concerns with Bangladesh are being addressed through established bilateral mechanisms.
Earlier this month, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers and already have structured platforms to discuss transboundary water issues. “These bilateral mechanisms continue to meet at regular intervals,” Jaiswal said during a media briefing.
During the same briefing, Jaiswal also reiterated India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty, saying it remained “in abeyance” due to Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism.
Referring to Operation Sindoor, he said India had every right to defend itself against terrorism and accused Pakistan of using cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
With inputs from PTI
