India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission: The Forum for the Ganga Water Treaty as It Nears Expiry
The Ganga Water Treaty between India and Bangladesh will expire on December 12, 2026, 30 years after it was signed.
Asked about the treaty, the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries have a Joint Rivers Commission (JRC), which he called the "structured mechanism" to deal with the treaty.
This means that whatever happens to the treaty itself, India and Bangladesh will stay engaged through the JRC, and all river issues can be taken up there.
India and Bangladesh share about 54 rivers. Three of them, the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Teesta, are major rivers that are vital for Bangladesh's farming and flood preparation.
The JRC was set up after the 1971 war, when the two countries agreed to create a body to handle all river-water issues between them.
Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC)
The Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission, or JRC, is a permanent body that India and Bangladesh set up in 1972 to work together on the rivers they share. It is the main official table where both sides discuss sharing river water in the dry season, flood warnings, protection of river banks and joint studies. It is headed at the top level by the water resources ministers of the two countries.
With the Ganga Water Treaty ending on December 12, 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs has pointed to the JRC as the body that will handle the treaty question. This signals that talks on the Ganga, and on other shared rivers, will continue through this permanent channel even if a new treaty is not ready in time.
The Ganges Water Treaty, 1996
The Ganges Water Treaty is the agreement between India and Bangladesh on how to share the water of the Ganga (called the Padma in Bangladesh) during the dry months. The sharing happens at the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal, just before the river enters Bangladesh. The treaty was signed on December 12, 1996 for a period of 30 years.
The treaty's 30-year term ends on December 12, 2026. Whether it is renewed, changed or extended for a short period, the JRC is the forum that will carry the technical talks, such as joint water measurements and the sharing formula.
The Teesta River Water Dispute
The Teesta River Water Dispute is a long-running disagreement between India and Bangladesh over how to share the water of the Teesta, especially in the dry season. The Teesta starts in Sikkim, flows through West Bengal and enters Bangladesh, where it joins the Brahmaputra (called the Jamuna there). Both countries depend on it for irrigation in the dry months, so a fair sharing formula matters a great deal to farmers on both sides.
The Teesta is one of the three major rivers named in the news as vital for Bangladesh. Because no Teesta agreement exists, any wider talks on the Ganga treaty's future at the JRC are likely to bring the Teesta question back to the table.
- Ganga Water Treaty signed: December 12, 1996; expires: December 12, 2026 (30-year term)
- Sharing point: Farakka Barrage, West Bengal; lean season January 1 to May 31
- Rivers shared by India and Bangladesh: 54
- Major shared rivers: Ganga, Brahmaputra, Teesta
- Joint Rivers Commission set up: 1972
- 38th JRC ministerial meeting: August 25, 2022, New Delhi (Kushiyara MoU, 153 cusecs)
- 2011 Teesta proposal (unsigned): India 42.5%, Bangladesh 37.5%