Weeks before Ganga Water Treaty expires, India says Joint Rivers Commission is the forum
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.
Published 4 November 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
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?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
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.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Transboundary river sharing and India-Bangladesh relations
- How to use this
Use the Ganga treaty to show how access to freshwater becomes a cross-border question when rivers are shared and dry-season flows fall.
- India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers; the 1996 Ganga treaty divides lean-season flow at Farakka from 1 January to 31 May.
- When flow falls to 70,000 cusecs or less, each side gets only half; below 50,000 cusecs emergency consultations are required.
- The 30-year treaty ends on 12 December 2026, and Bangladesh seeks an explicit guarantee of its share.
An earlier question on Bangladesh's internal politics and its significance for India; the treaty renewal is part of the same relationship.
In respect of India-Sri Lanka relations, discuss how domestic factors influence foreign policy.
Asks how domestic factors shape foreign policy with Sri Lanka; West Bengal's role in river deals with Bangladesh is a parallel case.
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.
- 1972India-Bangladesh friendship treaty; the Joint Rivers Commission is set up
- 21 April 1975Farakka Barrage becomes operational
- 1977Five-year sharing agreement signed; it lapses in 1982
- 12 December 199630-year Ganga Water Treaty signed by Deve Gowda and Sheikh Hasina
- 3 November 2026MEA says talks will run through the Joint Rivers Commission
- 12 December 2026Treaty term ends unless renewed by mutual consent
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.
- 70,000 cusecs or less: 50% each
- Below 50,000 cusecs in any ten-day period: emergency consultations
- 70,000 to 75,000 cusecs: Bangladesh gets 35,000 cusecs, India the balance
- 75,000 cusecs or more: India gets 40,000 cusecs, Bangladesh the balance
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.
Go deeper
Why it matters for UPSC
This joins three syllabus threads: India and its neighbourhood (GS2), transboundary rivers and water security (GS1 and GS3), and federalism, because the river and the barrage lie in West Bengal. Prelims can ask about Farakka, the treaty's formula and the commission.
The core idea
The Ganga Water Treaty 1996 shares the dry-season flow of the Ganga at the Farakka Barrage using a Lean-season sharing formula measured in ten-day periods from 1 January to 31 May. Disputes the treaty's Joint Committee cannot resolve go to the Joint Rivers Commission. On 3 November 2026 MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that commission "is the structured mechanism for discussion on all cross-boundary rivers, including Ganga". He added that India has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit, without a date.
Numbers and dates to remember
- Treaty signed 12 December 1996; term 30 years (Article XII); ends 12 December 2026.
- Lean season: 1 January to 31 May, in ten-day periods.
- Formula: 70,000 cusecs or less, 50:50; 75,000 or more, India 40,000 cusecs.
- Guarantee: 35,000 cusecs each in alternate three ten-day periods, 11 March to 10 May.
- India must release at least 90% of Bangladesh's formula share (Article XI).
- Farakka operational 21 April 1975; 54 shared rivers.
Where to go next
- Ganga Water Treaty 1996: what the treaty says and how it can be renewed.
- Farakka Barrage: why India built the barrage and why Bangladesh objected.
- Joint Rivers Commission: the 1972 body India wants to use.
- Lean-season sharing formula: how the water is divided in dry months.
Go deeper: renew, revise or replace?
Bangladesh's position. Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annee said on 8 October 2026 that Dhaka wants a new treaty or a revision before 12 December, with an explicit guarantee of Bangladesh's share. In August 2026, a parliamentary panel urged the Indian government to begin renewal talks without delay. The existing text guarantees 35,000 cusecs only in alternate ten-day periods between 11 March and 10 May; at other times Bangladesh gets a share of whatever reaches Farakka.
India's position. India points to the Joint Rivers Commission as the standing forum and has not set a renewal timeline. The treaty already provides for reviews at five-year intervals (Article X) and needs mutual consent to renew (Article XII). Technical work has continued: in March 2025 the 86th meeting of the Joint Committee of Technical Experts met in Kolkata after a Bangladeshi team surveyed the Farakka Barrage.
The federal angle. The barrage and the Bengal stretch of the river lie in West Bengal, and water is largely a State subject. The Teesta understanding of 2011 was never signed after West Bengal objected. Any revised Lean-season sharing formula that changes how much water India keeps will need the State on board.
The wider relationship. The question comes as Bangladesh faces garment worker protests, with its manufacturers' body saying 670 of about 4,000 registered factories shut. India says it wants a relationship that is "positive, forward-looking, and constructive". If no agreement or interim arrangement is reached by 12 December, the Ganga Water Treaty 1996's obligations would lapse.
Ganga Water Treaty 1996
What the treaty says and how it ends or renews.
In one line: The Treaty on Sharing of the Ganga/Ganges Waters at Farakka was signed in New Delhi on 12 December 1996 for 30 years.
The parties and the term
It was signed by Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda of India and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. Article XII says it enters into force on signature, stays in force for 30 years and is "renewable on the basis of mutual consent". It therefore ends on 12 December 2026.
Key articles
- Article II: sharing by ten-day periods from 1 January to 31 May, using the formula in Annexure I.
- Article IV: a Joint Committee with equal members observes flows at Farakka and Hardinge Bridge.
- Article VII: disputes the Joint Committee cannot settle go to the Joint Rivers Commission, then to the two governments.
- Article X: review at five-year intervals or earlier.
- Article XI: without an agreed change, India releases at least 90% of Bangladesh's share.
Where to go next
Ganga Water Treaty 1996: every story that connects to it (2)
Farakka Barrage
Why India built it, and why it upset the lower riparian.
In one line: The Farakka Barrage in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, diverts Ganga water into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly to keep Kolkata port navigable.
Purpose
The barrage, about 2.3 km long, sends water down a feeder canal of about 42 km into the Hooghly to flush silt from Kolkata harbour and reduce dredging. It became operational on 21 April 1975.
Why it became a dispute
India is the upper riparian and Bangladesh the lower riparian. Diverting water in the dry season leaves less for Bangladesh. An interim arrangement in 1975 and a five-year agreement in 1977 (signed by India's Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Surjit Singh Barnala and Bangladesh's Rear Admiral Musharraf Husain Khan) followed; the latter lapsed in 1982. The 1996 treaty settled the issue for 30 years.
Where to go next
Joint Rivers Commission
The bilateral body India names as the forum for all shared rivers.
In one line: The Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission is the standing bilateral body on all rivers the two countries share.
Origin and role
It was set up in 1972, under the framework of the India-Bangladesh Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace signed on 19 March 1972. The two countries share 54 rivers. The commission handles flood data, river management and water-sharing talks. Under Article VII of the 1996 treaty, disputes the Joint Committee cannot settle are referred to it.
Why it is in the news
On 3 November 2026 the MEA said the commission "is the structured mechanism for discussion on all cross-boundary rivers, including Ganga". India is signalling that renewal will be handled through this routine channel rather than a special negotiation announced in advance.
Where to go next
Lean-season sharing formula
How the dry-season water is actually divided.
In one line: In the lean season the treaty divides the flow at Farakka by a formula that depends on how much water arrives.
The formula (Annexure I)
- 70,000 cusecs or less: India 50%, Bangladesh 50%.
- 70,000 to 75,000 cusecs: Bangladesh 35,000 cusecs, India the balance.
- 75,000 cusecs or more: India 40,000 cusecs, Bangladesh the balance.
A cusec is one cubic foot of water per second.
The guarantee and the safeguard
From 11 March to 10 May, the driest stretch, each country is guaranteed 35,000 cusecs in alternate three ten-day periods. If flow at Farakka falls below 50,000 cusecs in any ten-day period, the governments must consult at once on emergency adjustments. Article VIII commits both to finding a long-term way to augment dry-season flows.
Where to go next
Take the 4 November 2026 quiz: 30 Prelims-style questions with answers