Ganga Water Treaty

About Ganga Water Treaty

• The Ganga Water Treaty is a 30-year bilateral agreement between India and Bangladesh.
• It governs the sharing of the Ganges River waters at the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal during the lean season from January 1 to May 31 every year.
• Signed in: It was signed on December 12, 1996, by Prime Ministers HD Deve Gowda and Sheikh Hasina.
• Important Provisions:
  • If the water level at Farakka is less than 70,000 cusecs, the two nations share it equally.
  • If the level of water is between 70,000 and 75,000 cusecs, Bangladesh receives 35,000 cusecs and India gets the remaining water.
  • If the water level falls below 50,000 cusecs in a 10-day period, both governments, through the existing bilateral mechanisms, immediately consult with each other to adjust allocations on an emergency basis.
  • A clause in the agreement ensures a minimum of 35,000 cusecs to each side in alternate 10-day periods between March 11 and May 10.
  • Emergency clause: It also has an emergency clause (Article II) that dictates that if the water flow at the Farakka Barrage drops below 50,000 cusecs in any 10-day period, both India and Bangladesh must immediately enter into consultations to negotiate emergency adjustments to water flow.
• Bangladesh’s Demands:
  • Bangladesh wants the treaty to be renewed before its expiry on 12 December 2026.
  • It seeks the restoration of the guarantee clause of the 1977 agreement.
    • The clause ensured that Bangladesh would receive 80% of its allocated share even when the Ganga’s water flow at Farakka fell below 80% of the agreed level.
  • Bangladesh has argued that the treaty does not adequately address ecological and environmental flow considerations, nor does it include factors such as climate change.
  • Some experts in Bangladesh have suggested including Nepal to make it a trilateral agreement.
• Other river water sharing treaty with Bangladesh: 
  • Kushiyara River MoU
  • Feni River MoU

About Ganga River The Ganga River is a trans-boundary river that flows through India, Tibet (China), Nepal and Bangladesh. Origin: It rises in the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas at an elevation of about 7,010 m in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Course of river: At its source, the river is called as the Bhagirathi. It descends down the valley upto Devprayag where after joining another hill stream Alaknanda, it is called Ganga. It finally drains into the Bay of Bengal.  Boundaries: The basin is bounded by the Himalayas on the north, by the Aravalli on the west, by the Vindhyas and Chhotanagpur plateau on the south and by the Brahmaputra Ridge on the east. Total length: The total length of river Ganga is 2,525 km. Drainage area:  The drainage area lying in India is 861452 km2which is nearly 26.2% of the total geographical area of the country. States covered: In India, it covers states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Ganga in Bangladesh: It is known as the Padma as soon as it enters Bangladesh, around 22 km downstream from the Farakka Barrage in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. Tributaries: The principal tributaries are the Yamuna, Son, Ramganga, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi, and Mahananda. Chambal and the Betwa are sub tributaries.  Dams:  Important storages constructed in the basin include Matatial, Sarda Sagar, Ramganga, Bansagar dam (Interstate MP, UP, Bihar), Rajghat Dam (Interstate MP, UP), Chambal Valley dam (Gandhisagar, Ranapratap Sagar, Jawahar Sagar), Kangsabati, Tehri, Mayurakshi, Rihand and DVC reservoirs. It is one of India’s holiest rivers, holding immense cultural and spiritual significance.