Weeks before Ganges water deal expires, MEA says ‘structured mechanism’ remains in place for pact

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. File | Photo credit: ANI

Weeks before the Ganges Water Treaty expires in December, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated on Tuesday (Nov 3, 2026) that India and Bangladesh have a “structured mechanism” to address the treaty’s demands. Addressing a bi-weekly press conference, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that India had invited Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit New Delhi, but that there was no “update” on the renewal of the contract or the dates of the trip.

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“We have a Joint Rivers Commission between India and Bangladesh, which is a structured mechanism to discuss all transboundary rivers, including the Ganges,” Mr Jaiswal said, adding that India wished to have a “positive relationship” with Bangladesh.

A three-decade-old arrangement

The bilateral Ganga water treaty expires on December 12. The treaty was signed in 1996 between India and Bangladesh when Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the first time. The three-decade-old river water sharing agreement requires expert-level and political consultations to renew the pact.

It is understood that since the agreement was signed at the level of Prime Ministers (Mrs Hasina and then Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda), the agreement will be renewed at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Tariq Rahman. However, Mr Rahman, who has so far visited China, Japan, Malaysia and the United States, has so far not responded to an invitation from India, although 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 relationship,” Mr Jaiswal said, reiterating India’s invitation to Prime Minister Rahman. Diplomatic sources on the Bangladeshi side had earlier said they expected an automatic short-term renewal of the contract after it expires on December 12, although Indian officials have not yet said so.

Mr Jaiswal also took note of protests by garment workers in Bangladesh who are taking to the streets to demand fair wages as the country faces high inflation and a power crisis. “Yes, we have been monitoring the situation in Bangladesh. There have been developments there and we will continue to monitor developments,” he said when asked about the garment workers’ protests.

Published – November 3, 2026 10:36 PM IST