Weeks before expiry of Ganga Water Treaty, MEA says ‘structured mechanism’ remains in place for pact
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Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. File | Photo Credit: ANI
Weeks before the expiry of the Ganga Water Treaty in December, the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) reiterated that India and Bangladesh have a “structured mechanism” to deal with the treaty’s requirements. Addressing the bi-weekly media briefing, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that India has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit New Delhi but that there is neither any “update” on the treaty’s renewal nor on the dates for the trip.
“Between India and Bangladesh, we have a Joint Rivers Commission which is the structured mechanism for discussion on all cross-boundary rivers, including the Ganga,” said Mr. Jaiswal, adding that India wishes to have a “positive relationship” with Bangladesh.
The bilateral Ganga Water Treaty is set to expire on December 12. The treaty was signed in 1996 between India and Bangladesh when Sheikh Hasina of Awami League became Bangladesh’s Prime Minister for the first time. The three-decade old agreement for river water sharing requires expert-level and political consultations for renewing the pact.
It is understood that since the treaty was signed at the level of Prime Ministers (Ms. Hasina and then Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda), a renewal of the agreement would happen at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. However, Mr. Rahman who has visited China, Japan, Malaysia and the United States so far, has not yet responded to the invites from India though he was invited to both bilateral and multilateral events during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September.
“As far as India-Bangladesh relationship is concerned we want to work towards a positive, forward looking and constructive relation,” said Mr. Jaiswal reiterating India’s invites to Prime Minister Rahman. Diplomatic sources from the Bangladeshi side had informed earlier that they are expecting an automatic short-term renewal of the treaty after the expiry on December 12, though the Indian officials have not indicated at that till now.
Mr. Jaiswal also took note of the protests by the readymade garment industry workers in Bangladesh who have been hitting the streets demanding fair wages as the country faces high inflation and electricity crisis. “Yes, we have been following the situation in Bangladesh. There have been developments there and we will continue to follow the developments,” he said in response to a question on the protests by the workers in the garments sector.
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