Former Bangladesh foreign secretary Farooq Sobhan has said unfulfilled commitments made by India during negotiations over the Ganga Water Treaty must be revisited as the 1996 agreement approaches its expiry, The Hindu reported.

Speaking to The Hindu, Sobhan said India had promised to build a barrage on the Padma in Bangladesh as part of the understanding reached during negotiations, but the project was never implemented.

“India had promised to build a barrage for Padma (Ganga) in Bangladeshi territory at that time, but it was not followed up,” Sobhan told the newspaper.

He said the proposed barrage was the quid pro quo for Bangladesh agreeing not to include an arbitration clause in the treaty. Bangladesh had conducted surveys in the 1990s regarding the project but did not receive the necessary assistance, he added.

The comments come as the 1996 India-Bangladesh Ganga Water Treaty is set to expire in December unless both sides agree to renew it for another 30 years.

Manjur A. Chowdhury, former chairman of Bangladesh’s National River Conservation Commission, meanwhile, described the existing treaty as “flawed”, saying it lacks a guarantee clause and does not adequately address ecological flow, environmental concerns or climate change.

Speaking to The Hindu, Chowdhury said Bangladesh should initially seek a three-year short-term agreement while conducting further research and negotiations for a comprehensive replacement treaty.

He also called for Nepal to be included in a future agreement, arguing that rivers originating in Nepal contribute significant Himalayan snowmelt to the Ganga system.

“The Ganga Water Treaty is three decades old and flawed as it does not include a guarantee clause. It also does not have ecological flow and environmental flow considerations,” Chowdhury said.

He argued that a future treaty should consider the overall health of the river and prevent overexploitation of the Ganga.

Chowdhury said India’s approach of treating the agreement purely as a bilateral treaty overlooks the contribution of Nepal’s Ghaghara, Gandaki and Koshi rivers during the lean months.

His comments came a day after he made similar remarks at a conclave in Dhaka, calling for a fresh approach to the treaty.

Discussions on renewing the agreement are currently ongoing between India and Bangladesh, although key technical consultations are yet to be completed ahead of its December expiry.

The issue has also drawn opposition in India. JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha had urged the Indian government not to renew the treaty, claiming it had negatively affected Bihar.

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in a letter to Jha on August 28, said the government understood the concerns and that inter-ministerial consultations involving relevant stakeholders had been held under the leadership of the Jal Shakti Ministry on the treaty’s future.