# Weeks before Ganga Water Treaty expires, India says Joint Rivers Commission is the forum

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-04/ganga-water-treaty-jrc-renewal/
Date: 4 November 2026 (2026-11-04)
Source: The Hindu, Page 10
UPSC papers: GS2, GS1
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** The 30-year Ganga Water Treaty ends on 12 December 2026, and India says renewal will be discussed through the existing Joint Rivers Commission, not a new track.

At his weekly media briefing on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the Ganga Water Treaty with Bangladesh, which expires on 12 December 2026. He said the two countries have a joint rivers commission and "it is the structured mechanism for discussion on all cross-boundary rivers, including Ganga". He gave no update on renewal. Asked whether Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would visit, he said India has extended an invitation and would share any update. He also said India is following the protests by garment workers in Bangladesh, where the manufacturers' body says 670 of about 4,000 registered factories have shut.

The treaty was signed in New Delhi on 12 December 1996 by Prime Ministers H.D. Deve Gowda and Sheikh Hasina. It shares the Ganga's flow at the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal during the lean season, 1 January to 31 May, in ten-day periods. When flow is 70,000 cusecs or less, each side gets half; at 75,000 cusecs or more India gets 40,000 cusecs and Bangladesh the rest. From 11 March to 10 May each side is guaranteed 35,000 cusecs in alternate three ten-day periods. Article XII fixes a 30-year term, renewable by mutual consent. India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, and the Joint Rivers Commission, set up in 1972, is their bilateral body for all of them.

Dhaka wants clarity. On 8 October 2026 Bangladesh's Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annee said it wants a new or revised treaty before 12 December with an explicit guarantee of its share. India has not confirmed any timeline. Technical contacts have continued, including a March 2025 meeting of the joint technical experts in Kolkata after a Bangladeshi team surveyed Farakka. West Bengal's stand is a factor because the barrage lies in the State and water is largely a State subject; the Teesta understanding of 2011 was never signed after the State objected. If neither renewal nor an interim arrangement is agreed, the treaty's obligations would lapse.

## Prelims facts

- The Ganga Water Treaty, signed on 12 December 1996 for 30 years, ends on 12 December 2026 unless renewed by mutual consent.
- On 3 November 2026 the MEA called the Joint Rivers Commission the structured mechanism for all cross-boundary rivers, including the Ganga.
- Sharing applies at Farakka from 1 January to 31 May in ten-day periods; at 70,000 cusecs or less the split is 50:50.
- Each side is guaranteed 35,000 cusecs in alternate three ten-day periods between 11 March and 10 May.
- India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers; the Joint Rivers Commission dates from 1972.

## Quick recall

- **When was the Ganga Water Treaty signed, and by whom?** 12 December 1996, by Prime Ministers H.D. Deve Gowda (India) and Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh).
- **Term of the Ganga Water Treaty?** 30 years (Article XII), renewable by mutual consent; it ends on 12 December 2026.
- **Lean season under the treaty?** 1 January to 31 May, counted in ten-day periods.
- **Sharing when flow at Farakka is 70,000 cusecs or less?** 50% to India and 50% to Bangladesh.
- **Guarantee period under Annexure I?** 11 March to 10 May: each side gets 35,000 cusecs in alternate three ten-day periods.
- **When did Farakka Barrage become operational?** 21 April 1975.
- **How many rivers do India and Bangladesh share?** 54.
- **Where are flows observed under the treaty?** At Farakka in India and Hardinge Bridge in Bangladesh, by a Joint Committee.

## Prelims practice question

With reference to the India-Bangladesh Ganga Water Treaty of 1996, consider the following statements:
1. It shares the waters of the Ganga at the Farakka Barrage throughout the year.
2. It was concluded for a period of thirty years and is renewable by mutual consent.
3. Disputes not resolved by its Joint Committee are referred to the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only. Statement 1 is wrong: sharing applies only in the lean season, 1 January to 31 May. Statement 2 is correct under Article XII. Statement 3 is correct under Article VII.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2023, GS1: Why is the world today confronted with a crisis of availability of and access to freshwater resources? (https://upsc.help/pyq/q184-world-today-confronted-crisis-availability-access-freshwater/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use the Ganga treaty to show how access to freshwater becomes a cross-border question when rivers are shared and dry-season flows fall.
- UPSC Mains 2013, GS2: The protests in Shahbag Square in Dhaka in Bangladesh reveal a fundamental split in society between the nationalists and Islamic forces. What is its significance for India? (https://upsc.help/pyq/q327-protests-shahbag-square-dhaka-bangladesh-reveal-fundamental/)
- UPSC Mains 2013, GS2: In respect of India-Sri Lanka relations, discuss how domestic factors influence foreign policy. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q313-respect-india-sri-lanka-relations-domestic-factors-influence/)

## Mains practice question

The Ganga Water Treaty of 1996 expires in December 2026. Examine the issues India must weigh in renewing it, and suggest how the arrangement can be made more resilient. (250 words)

### Model answer

The 30-year Ganga Water Treaty, signed on 12 December 1996, ends on 12 December 2026. On 3 November 2026 India said the Joint Rivers Commission is the structured mechanism for talks.

## Issues India must weigh
- **Bangladesh's demand:** Dhaka wants a new or revised treaty with an explicit guarantee of its share.
- **Dry-season stress:** the guarantee of 35,000 cusecs applies only in alternate ten-day periods from 11 March to 10 May.
- **Kolkata port:** Farakka diverts water to the Hooghly to flush silt; India's needs remain.
- **Federalism:** the barrage is in West Bengal and water is largely a State subject; the 2011 Teesta understanding was never signed.
- **Wider ties:** a stable deal supports a "positive, forward-looking, and constructive" relationship even as garment worker protests unsettle Bangladesh.
- **Other rivers:** the two share 54 rivers; the Ganga deal sets the template.

## Making it resilient
- Renew through the Joint Rivers Commission with the Joint Committee's flow data from Farakka and Hardinge Bridge.
- Keep the 50,000-cusec emergency consultation clause and the Article X five-year review.
- Pursue Article VIII's goal of augmenting dry-season flow.
- Involve West Bengal early to build domestic consensus.
- Add climate and sediment data sharing for flood and drought planning.

A timely, consultative renewal would protect both water security and one of India's most important neighbourhood partnerships.

## The basics

## Why this matters
The 1996 treaty that divides the dry-season flow of the Ganga between India and Bangladesh runs for 30 years and ends on 12 December 2026. On 3 November 2026, asked about its renewal, India's Ministry of External Affairs said the Joint Rivers Commission is "the structured mechanism" for all cross-boundary rivers, including the Ganga. Formal renewal talks have not been announced. For UPSC this is a live test of neighbourhood policy, river diplomacy and federalism, since West Bengal hosts the Farakka Barrage.

## The river and the barrage
Farakka lies in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, upstream of the point where the Ganga flows into Bangladesh. India built a barrage there to divert water into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly and flush silt from Kolkata port. It became operational on 21 April 1975. Less water then flowed into Bangladesh in the dry months, and sharing became a dispute.

## How the treaty shares water
Sharing applies only in the lean season, 1 January to 31 May, counted in ten-day periods. The Lean-season sharing formula depends on how much water reaches Farakka.

A guarantee sits on top: from 11 March to 10 May each country gets 35,000 cusecs in alternate three ten-day periods. A Joint Committee observes flows at Farakka and at Hardinge Bridge in Bangladesh.

## What is at stake
Bangladesh's Water Resources Minister said in October that Dhaka wants a new or revised treaty before 12 December with an explicit guarantee of its share. India has not given a timeline. Because water is largely a State subject, West Bengal's view matters, as the unsigned Teesta deal of 2011 showed. The Ganga Water Treaty 1996 itself says it can be renewed only by mutual consent.

## Sources

- https://theprint.in/india/following-situation-mea-on-protests-by-garment-workers-in-bangladesh/3089482/
- https://lawstreet.co/executive/weeks-before-ganga-water-treaty-expires-mea-says-talks-run-through-structured-mechanism-no-update-on-renewal
- https://lpr.adb.org/sites/default/files/resource/1610/ganges-water-sharing-treaty-1996.pdf
- https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/ganga-water-treaty-india-bangladesh-to-form-joint-technical-committee-within-3-months
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farakka_Barrage
- https://www.nextias.com/ca/headlines-of-the-day/04-11-2026/87907