বাংলাIndia will consider the interests and concerns of Bihar before making a final decision on renewing the 1996 Ganga water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh. Indian media outlet The Hindu reported the development.
According to the report, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar made the statement in a letter to Janata Dal (United) parliamentarian Sanjay Jha on August 28. The Ganga water-sharing treaty between Bangladesh and India is set to expire on December 31 this year.
Sanjay Jha had earlier urged the Indian government not to renew the treaty, arguing that it had a negative impact on Bihar.
In his letter, Jaishankar said inter-ministerial discussions had been held under the leadership of the Ministry of Jal Shakti with relevant stakeholders to discuss the future of the treaty. An authorised representative of the Bihar government also participated in these discussions.
He said the meetings were held on August 22 and October 30 in 2023, and March 15 and May 31 in 2024. Regarding renewal of the treaty, Jaishankar said the government would take an appropriate decision after considering the relevant issues.
In response, Sanjay Jha expressed hope that the Indian government would fully and fairly consider Bihar’s interests when deciding the future of the Ganga water-sharing treaty.
Jha said Bihar was not seeking anyone’s sympathy and that its demands were based on its own scientific assessments. He said the state’s main concern was to ensure that around 130 million people do not face shortages of drinking water, irrigation water and water for industries over the next 30 years.
The expiry of the Ganga water-sharing treaty has brought the long-standing water-sharing issue between Bangladesh and India into renewed focus. The positions taken by both countries in the coming period will be important in determining the future of the agreement.
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