Bangladesh river expert calls 1996 Ganga Water Treaty flawed

Manjur A. Chowdhury, chairman of the Bangladesh River Conservation Commission, stated that the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty is flawed because it lacks guarantee and ecological flow clauses.

Chowdhury suggested replacing the treaty before its December expiry with a three-year short-term pact followed by a new trilateral agreement involving Nepal.

Former foreign secretary Farooq Sobhan also noted that the absence of an arbitration clause and unfulfilled Indian promises to build a barrage remain problematic.