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Bangladesh has expressed cautious optimism over the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam saying discussions are moving in a “positive direction.”
“I think it is progressing well. I hope India will understand its importance and come forward accordingly,” she told reporters on Thursday when asked about the future of the treaty, which is set to expire in December 2026.
Signed on December 12, 1996, for a 30-year term, the landmark agreement governs the sharing of Ganges waters between Bangladesh and India—two countries that share 54 transboundary rivers.
Experts stress that the treaty must be comprehensively reviewed and modernised before renewal, warning of serious consequences if a new agreement is not reached.
Officials say Bangladesh’s agriculture, food security and overall climate resilience could face significant risks without a revised framework.
The Joint Rivers Commission, a bilateral mechanism, continues to facilitate discussions on water-sharing and related cooperation between the two neighbours.
Former Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tariq A. Karim said the original treaty demonstrated that cooperation is possible even on sensitive issues, but its renewal will test the region’s ability to adapt to evolving hydrological and climate realities.
“Water, food, energy, health and climate resilience are shared regional challenges. No country can address them alone,” he noted, calling for deeper collaboration in river-basin management, early warning systems, climate financing and joint research.
International relations expert Prof Shahab Enam Khan emphasised the need for broader, multidisciplinary planning. “The context has changed significantly since 1996. This process must go beyond engineering or diplomacy and include economists, urban planners and sociologists,” he said.
With both sides signalling interest in resetting bilateral ties, an equitable and climate-resilient Ganges water-sharing arrangement is likely to be a key test of future cooperation.