• Know flow of Holy Ganga from Hardwar to Bengal. Why was Farakka Barrage made and Impact? Key provisions of 1996 Water Treaty. Ganga Basin Area Distribution. Why 2025 is different from 1996? If USA supports BL, what should India say! India must help BL but what will it get?

Ever since India suspended the Indus Water Treaty sharing of river waters has occupied media space. With the deterioration in India Bangladesh relations, sharing of Ganga waters with Bangladesh (BL) is being discussed too. In fact, the government of India has asked Bangladesh for a review of the 1996 treaty.

This article seeks to demystify the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty and impact of Farakka Barrage. But first we need to know the route of the Ganga.

Devraj A  wrote about the route in Hinduism Today  What is underlined are rivers that join Ganga. 

1. Gangotri-Devprayag (where Alakananda meets Bhagirathi)-Hardwar. Ramganga River joins the Ganga near Kannauj.

Devprayag.   

2. Yamuna meets Ganga at the Sangam in Prayagraj.

3. Varanasi - Ghazipur to Ballia - The Gomti River joins the Ganga on the left bank between Varanasi and Ghazipur, 50 miles downstream.

Ganga at Kashi. 2008. 

4. Next is Ballia to Patna. Here see confluence of the Ghaghara with Ganga. Ghaghara is her second largest tributary that originates on the Tibetan Plateau and flows through Nepal to meet the left bank of Ganga near Chhapra. In its lower reaches, Ghaghara is also called the Saryu.

Ganga at Patna. 

5. Bhagalpur is about 155 miles downstream from Patna.

6. About 50 miles from Bhagalpur is Trimohini Sangam, where the Koshi River meets the Ganga. (close to Kursela)

7. It takes hours to cover the distance of just 47 miles from Bhagalpur to Sahibganj (Jharkhand). At Sahibganj is the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Harbour. Here an Inland Waterway Transport Terminal is being developed. The Fulahar River, originating in Nepal, meets the Ganga on the left bank opposite Rajmahal.

8. Now river enters West Bengal. At Farakka, the river takes two routes. One, is towards the Hooghly on whose banks is Kolkata and second is to BL where the river is known as Padma.

9. Here Padma meets one of the distributaries of Brahmaputra called Jamuna. This combined stream meets Meghna River that is another distributary of Brahmaputra at Chandpur in Bangladesh. The Meghna River finally flows into the Bay of Bengal. Source

10. About 70 miles from Kolkata is Gangasagar, where the river meets the Bay of Bengal. Also referred here

Gangasagar.

Where is Farakka Barrage and its purpose?

Farakka Barrage is in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. ‘It was completed in 1975 has 109 gates, a feeder canal of 38.1 kms emanating from the right bank.’ 7

The aim of this barrage is to transfer 40,000 cusecs of water to its distributary Bhagirathi-Hooghly with an intent to push the silt i.e. hurting Kolkata port. The balance water flows to BL. (40k figure could vary, see table 1 below) 

Farrakka Barrage. 

India Bangladesh 1996 Ganga Water Treaty

To read treaty in PDF, click on PDF Read on for key provisions-

1. “The sharing between India and Bangladesh of the Ganga/Ganges waters at Farakka by ten day periods from the 1st January to the 31st May every year.

2. The indicative schedule at Annexure II, as referred to in sub para (i) above, is based on 40 years (1949-1988) 10-day period average availability of water at Farakka. 

3. In the event flow at Farakka falls below 50,000 cusecs in any 10 day period, the 2 governments will enter into immediate consultations to make adjustments on an emergency bases, in accordance with the principles of equity etc.

4. India shall release downstream of Farakka Barrage, water at a rate not less than 90% of Bangladesh’s share according to the formula referred to in Article II.

Table 1 Formula for Sharing Annexure 1 

Subject to the condition that India and Bangladesh each shall receive guaranteed 35,000 cusecs of water in alternate three 10-day periods during the period March 1 to May 10.” 

Bangladesh’s share of downstream flows under the treaty amounts to about 50%.

“Annexure 2 - If actual availability corresponds to average flows of the period 1949 to 1988 the implication of the formula in Annex-I for the share of each side is given in a table in the 1996 agreement.” 

As per table in treaty except for 3 periods (March 21-30, April 11-20, May 1-10) Bangladesh gets a guaranteed 35,000 cusecs of water and more during January 1 to May 31 while India’s share never exceeds 40,000 cusecs with a minimum of 25,000 cusecs during April 21-30. 

India settled for each side getting 35,000 cusecs of water in alternative ten-day periods during the driest period from March to May.

Strategic expert Brahma Chellaney tweeted , “The treaty guarantees Bangladesh specific dry-season flows — a precedent-setting provision in international water law. It obligates India to deliver an average of 34,060 cusecs during the critical dry season, regardless of natural or third-party disruptions, such as climate change or Chinese damming of upstream Ganges tributaries.”

What is the Ganga Basin Area Distribution? 

Dwarika N Dhungel shared this table in an article on india-seminar.com

Table 2 Ganga Basin Area Distribution

Source: Hari Man Shrestha and Lekh M. Singh, The Ganges-Brahmaputra System: A Nepalese Perspective in the Context of Regional Cooperation, Asian International Waters, 1996. (Quoted in Iswer R Onta, Harnessing the Himalayan Waters of Nepal: A Case for Partnership for the Ganges Basin: An Invited Paper for Ganges Forum, Sponsored by IWRA and UN University, Tokyo, 18-20 March 1998, Calcutta.)

Ganga from Uttarakhand via West Bengal and BL into Bay of Bengal. Courtesy edubaba.in 

Dwarika added, “Even through Nepal represents just 13 per cent of the Ganga’s total basin area, during the three lean months between March and May, the volume of water flowing through Nepal represents an incredible 75 per cent of the flow reaching Farakka.”

‘The 1996 Ganges treaty guarantees Bangladesh minimum cross-border flows even in the dry season-a new principle in international water relations.’

Impact of Farakka Barrage esp. on desilting   (commissioned in 1975)

While this requires a separate article here it is in brief.

According to this article in SANDRP by Parineeta Dandekar, “Dr. Kalyan Rudra, an authority on rivers in West Bengal says that freshwater flow brought by the Hooghly Estuary, even with 40,000 cusecs from Farakka is just too meagre to flush sediments deep down the estuary.” 7

Four unintended consequences of Farakka can be read Here “Farakka Barrage has stopped migration of economically important species like Hilsa (Tenualosa ilsha) and Macrobrachium prawns.” 7

The role of Farakka barrage in increasing the silt levels and the impact on river banks need to be made public.

Bangladeshi author

According to a 2022 research paper in MDPI, “The findings from the analysis showed the effects of FB on the river flow. The river’s hydrology has transformed because of the installation of the barrage and the Padma River’s wetland areas has been altered. Because of the withdrawal of the Ganges water by the FB, BL has been experiencing severe environmental degradation due to low flow in the Padma River.” 8 Pg 20 Source 2022 art in www.mdpi.com

Pg 21 of the same report states, “The south-western part of Bangladesh has witnessed environmental degradation for nearly 40 years because of a considerable decline in the Ganges flow at Farakka.” 8 2018 study by Rahman and Rahman.

Under the Treaty India has virtually guaranteed a certain cusec of water to Bangladesh but water outflow is a function of water inflow at barrage. And the flows are reducing due to a host of factors over which India or local authorities have little control.

Why 2025 is different from 1996? 

Like other countries India is affected by climate change. Also, population increase. In 2011 it was 121 crore, current estimates 146 crore (app 20% increase).

Water resources per capita in BL was 7451M3/person/year in 2017. Corresponding figure for India was 1427M3/person/year.

According to a PIB release dated 5/2/2024, “Based on the study titled “Reassessment of Water Availability in India using Space Inputs, 2019” conducted by Central Water Commission, the average annual per capita water availability for year 2021 and 2031 has been assessed as 1486 cubic meter and 1367 cubic meter respectively.”

It is important for the Centre to take the West Bengal state government into confidence on the revised water treaty and allocate funds for construction of embankments on river banks, aleast partially fund.

Should India continue with such generous water treaty!

Under which international law is India bound to share water with Bangladesh and basis?

India has shown good intent by recently allowing Nepal to sell power to Bangladesh using India’s transmission infrastructure. 

If the U.S. supports Bangladesh on sharing of Ganga waters tell, “In fact, the volume of waters earmarked for Pakistan from India under the Indus treaty is more than 90 times greater than what the U.S. is required to release for Mexico under the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty, which stipulates a minimum transboundary delivery of 1.85 billion cubic meters of the Colorado River waters yearly. Despite Ms. Clinton’s advocacy of a Teesta treaty, the fact is that the waters of the once-mighty Colorado River are siphoned by seven American states, leaving only a trickle for Mexico.” 2

On BL's inherent problems Lt Gen P R Shankar (retd) wrote, “Bangladesh’s low elevation, high density of population and inadequate infrastructure make it extremely vulnerable to climate change. If the sea level rises by 50 cm due to global warming, it will lose 11% of its land. It has been estimated that by 2050, this phenomenon will happen in an incremental manner. Up to 18 million Bangladeshi’s may have to move because of rise in sea level. Under such conditions, imagine if China releases stored water to ease pressure on their dams due to heavy rains. The flooding will trigger a humanitarian disaster of massive proportions in Bangladesh. 6  Reference 11 has links on Cause of Flooding in BL

It is a good to help a neighbour but what will India get in return? Life is give and take for mutual benefit.

References and Also read

1. Regional cooperation on the Ganga basin – Ganga joined by - The Nepalese rivers are the four large (the Kosi, Gandak, Karnali and Mahakali) and five medium (Kankai, Kamala, Bagmati, West Rapti and Babai) rivers. Indian rivers are the Bhagirathi, Yamuna and Ramganga.

2. Water Diplomacy – Skating on Thin Ice

3. How much water does India have – Iexpress

4. India is water stressed

5. India water facts

6. Tsango Po Dams – Dangers to India and Bangladesh  

7. Lessons from Farakka – as build more barrages on the Ganga

8. Assessing the Impact of the Farakka Barrage on Hydrological Alteration in Padma River by MDPI

9. CM writes to PM on Ganga erosion

10. Damodar Valley Dam is a joint venture between Jharkhand and West Bengal

11. DVC has an installed capacity of 6687 MW

12. Ganga river system – Good to understand river flows.  

13. Note – “The Damodar River meets the Hooghly River at Shyampur, which is app at a distance of 48 km from Kolkata. The confluence of these two rivers is a significant point, marking the merging of the Damodar into the Hooghly before it flows towards the Bay of Bengal. Diamond Harbour is where the Hooghly River the Bay of Bengal.” 

11. Causes of Flooding in BL – 

a. “75% of the country is below 10m above sea level and 80% is classified as floodplain. Cyclones from the Bay of Bengal cause and contribute to coastal flooding.”

b. London School of Economics report – “Bangladesh is highly prone to flooding because of its location in the Bengal Delta and its low-lying, flat topography. Several factors linked to climate change are increasing the country’s flood risk, including the increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events and more erratic rainfall.”

c. 4 things you need to know about floods in BL

d. Major reasons for floods recurring in Bangladesh

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