Talks on Ganga Water Treaty renewal with Bangladesh yet to begin: Govt

Bilateral discussions for the renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty between India and Bangladesh are yet to begin, the government informed Parliament on Friday.

Inputs on drinking water and industrial water requirements have also been received from all stakeholders, including from the government of West Bengal, which have been taken into account while formulating the government's views, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written response.

He was responding to a query on whether the governments of India and Bangladesh have initiated high-level technical discussions for the renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty, which is set to expire in 2026.

"With regard to the Ganga/Ganges Water Treaty signed in 1996 between India and Bangladesh, bilateral discussions for its renewal are yet to commence between the two countries," Singh said.

Under the framework of the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC), technical-level meetings continue to be held with Bangladesh on all water-related issues of mutual interest and the last such meeting was held in March 2025, providing a structured platform for data sharing and joint monitoring, he added.

The government of West Bengal is "regularly consulted" by the Union government in preparing for the aforementioned discussions, Singh said.

The minister said, An authorised representative from the government of West Bengal took part in inter-ministerial discussions held on the matter on October 30, 2023, March 15, 2024, May 31, 2024 and also on March 26, 2025, where a collective view was formulated.

Inputs on drinking water and industrial water requirements have also been received from all stakeholders, including from the government of West Bengal, which have been taken into account while formulating the government's views," the MoS said.