The India-Bangladesh Ganga water treaty is set to expire in December, putting the long-running dispute over dry-season river flows back in focus.

Bangladesh is seeking a fresh agreement with India that would include a “guarantee clause” ensuring a minimum quantity of Ganga water reaches Bangladesh during periods when river levels fall sharply.

Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee raised the demand at a seminar in Dhaka on Tuesday, according to an AFP report cited in the source material.

Dhaka Seeks Minimum Flow

Bangladesh wants the proposed agreement to provide greater certainty over water availability during the dry season.

Anee argued that the new pact should restore a guarantee mechanism similar to one contained in the 1977 Ganges Water Agreement, which was not included in the 1996 treaty.

Dhaka also wants a right-to-information mechanism covering water-sharing arrangements, according to the report.

The Bangladeshi minister said his government remained committed to securing a new treaty and described the issue as a matter of national rights.

Climate Adds New Concern

Bangladesh has argued that the hydrological conditions used when the current arrangement was negotiated no longer fully reflect present circumstances.

Lower and increasingly unpredictable dry-season flows have added to concerns about water availability downstream.

Climate change has further complicated the issue by increasing uncertainty around rainfall and river flows.

For Bangladesh, the central concern is whether the existing allocation framework can provide sufficient water during the most difficult months of the year.

Farakka At Centre

The Farakka Barrage in West Bengal remains one of the most sensitive points in the water-sharing dispute.

The structure diverts a portion of Ganga water towards the Hooghly river system. Bangladesh has long argued that reduced downstream flows during the dry season affect its rivers, agriculture and wider water resources.

At the Dhaka seminar, Anee sharply criticised the impact of Farakka and other river structures and embankments on Bangladesh's downstream water supply.

His comments reflect longstanding concerns in Dhaka over the management of shared rivers.

India Has Different Position

India has rejected Bangladesh's characterisation of Farakka as a dam.

New Delhi has maintained that the structure is a diversion barrage designed to channel around 40,000 cusecs of Ganga water into the Farakka canal, while the remaining flow continues downstream towards Bangladesh.

India has also maintained that water-flow information is regularly exchanged with Bangladesh through the Joint Rivers Commission.

The differing positions over Farakka and dry-season flows are likely to remain central to negotiations over any successor agreement.

Talks Yet To Begin

Despite the approaching expiry date, India has indicated that formal negotiations on renewing the treaty have not yet begun, according to the source material.

Bangladesh nevertheless wants the issue to receive high-level political attention.

Anee has expressed hope that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will raise the matter at the United Nations next month, adding an international dimension to Dhaka's push for a new arrangement.

Any agreement will require both sides to reconcile their competing concerns over water availability, river management and long-term hydrological changes.

New Pact Faces Challenges

The Ganga is only one of the many rivers shared by India and Bangladesh, making water management an important part of bilateral relations.

The expiry of the 1996 agreement provides an opportunity for both countries to revisit the existing framework, but it also creates pressure to avoid uncertainty after December.

Bangladesh's demand for a legally binding minimum-flow guarantee is likely to be one of the most difficult issues in the negotiations.

India, meanwhile, will have to weigh downstream commitments against water requirements in its own eastern regions.

The coming months could therefore prove crucial for the India-Bangladesh Ganga water treaty, with Dhaka pressing for a guarantee clause and New Delhi yet to begin formal renewal talks.