Bangladesh seeks longer Ganga treaty renewal period, more flood data at JRC meet

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) The India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission (JRC) met on Tuesday with Bangladesh conveying that it wants a longer renewal period for the Ganga Waters Treaty and pressed for more extensive flood data sharing between the two countries, a source said.

Indian officials conveyed that while it remains committed to sharing hydrological data and supporting flood management, changes in treaty provisions will require careful consideration of domestic requirements and coordination with state governments, the source said.

Bangladesh pressed for a guaranteed release of 40,000 cusecs of water between February and May -- the lean months -- under the Ganga Waters Treaty, but the Indian side pointed out that availability up to the Farakka barrage depends on technical factors.

Officials said New Delhi would first have to assess the monthly flow levels before taking a call on Dhaka's demand.

At present, India releases 35,000 cusecs of water in the period under the treaty.

The India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Treaty, signed in 1996, allocates Ganges water at the Farakka Barrage during the dry season.

The source said that the talks were also used as a preparatory exercise for negotiations on the 1996 treaty, which comes up for renewal in 2026.

According to officials, Bangladesh's ten-member delegation called for the creation of a special institutional vehicle to oversee water-sharing arrangements for several rivers, including the Gomti, Muhuri, Doodhkumar, Khowai, and Dharla.

Dhaka also sought India's support for a joint flood forecasting system and pressed for more regular sharing of flood-related data, particularly in relation to Tripura, where heavy rainfall last year caused widespread inundation in eastern Bangladesh.

They added that India pointed to its track record of humanitarian data-sharing with neighbours, including recent releases of flood-related information to Pakistan despite suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, as evidence of its willingness to cooperate on transboundary river management.

On the question of a new institutional mechanism for managing 14 rivers, India underlined that existing bilateral mechanisms under the JRC can be strengthened, but creating new structures may duplicate work already underway.

Talks on the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement also came up with Indian officials reiterating that progress would depend on building consensus at the state level.

Indian officials said this is an annual water meeting and no decisions were made in it. PTI UZM VN VN