Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee on Thursday expressed hope that Bangladesh and India would sign a new Ganges water-sharing treaty before December 12 this year, when the existing 30-year agreement expires.
“Restoring the guarantee clause, as in the 1977 agreement, is one of Bangladesh’s top priorities in the new treaty,” Anee told reporters after a seminar titled “Rethinking the Future of Water: Youth Leadership, Justice and Cooperation”, organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).
The minister said the two countries were working regularly through the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) and that Bangladesh was optimistic about finalising the new treaty before the deadline.
A five-year agreement signed in 1977 during the tenure of then president Ziaur Rahman contained a guarantee clause, but the provision was dropped when the current treaty was signed in 1996, he said.
On the Padma Barrage project, Anee said work would become visible between January and March next year. The project has already been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
He said the government was also moving ahead with the Teesta multipurpose project, with the feasibility study expected to begin soon and main construction targeted for 2027.
Describing the Padma Barrage and Teesta projects as major initiatives, Anee said around one-third of Bangladesh’s population would benefit from their implementation.
“The Teesta is a swift-flowing river, and people in the downstream areas have long been suffering because of water coming from upstream,” he said, stressing the need for technical support from local and international experts.
He said experts from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) had been consulted and given responsibility in this regard, while other local and international experts had also provided input.
Anee said the necessary work, including the feasibility study, was expected to be completed in 2027, paving the way for the main construction work.
Asked whether there was any foreign pressure or obstacle regarding the Padma Barrage and Teesta projects, he said the people living along the rivers were Bangladeshi citizens and their interests remained the government’s main concern.
“The interests and expectations of the people of the country are the biggest concern for me,” he said, adding that the government’s priority was to work for their welfare.
On the Padma Barrage, Anee said the feasibility study had taken place between 2004 and 2016 but the project was not implemented afterwards. The present government, he said, finalised the matter and began work within a few months of taking office.
Regarding the Teesta project, he said a feasibility study for such a large project could not be completed overnight and that previous authorities had not sought adequate technical support.
“The present government wants to complete the necessary work on its own initiative and give the Teesta project a visible shape,” he added.