Working to sign deals for fair shares of water from Teesta, Ganges, other rivers: Anee

Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee on Tuesday (November 10) told Parliament that the government is working to sign agreements to get Bangladesh’s fair shares of the waters of the Ganges and the Teesta and other transboundary rivers.

“Currently there is no agreement regarding the water distribution of the Teesta River. The government is working to sign agreements to ensure fair shares of the water of the Ganges and the Teesta, as well as other transboundary rivers,” he said.

Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said this in the scripted answer to a question from independent lawmaker Sk. Mozibur Rahman Iqbal (Kishoreganj-5).

In absence of Anee, State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad answered the starred questions during the question-answer session in the House.

Earlier, the day’s business began at 4:20pm with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, in the chair.

In reply to another question from the same lawmaker, the Water Resources Minister said the 30-year Ganga Water Sharing Agreement, signed between Bangladesh and India in 1996, will expire in December 2026.

“The government has already formed a high-level technical committee to sign the new agreement. The technical committee is working by considering all issues related to Bangladesh's interests,” he said.

Under the existing agreement, the two countries have been sharing the Ganges water received at Farakka during the dry season (January-May) every year from 1997 to 2026.

According to the formula outlined in Schedule-1 of the agreement, if the water flow at Farakka point is 75,000 cusecs or more, India will get 40,000 cusecs and Bangladesh will get the remaining amount.

If the total water flow ranged between 70,000 and 75,000 cusecs, Bangladesh will receive 35,000 cusecs and India the remaining portion. If the water flow is less than 70,000 cusecs (except for the 6 ten-day period from March 11 to May 10), it will be divided 50 percent (50%-50%).

According to the current agreement, if the amount of water received at Farakka Point is less than 70,000 cusecs, Bangladesh will receive a guaranteed 35,000 cusecs of water in 3 ten-day periods (March 11-20, April 1-10, April 21-30) and India will receive a guaranteed 35,000 cusecs of water in 3 ten-day periods (March 21-31, April 11-20, May 01-10).

Source: UNB