THE dispute over a fair share of the Ganges water between Bangladesh and India, 25 years after the signing of the Ganges agreement, is worrying. In the lean period in January–May every year, when natural water flow becomes scarce, India has come to routinely deprive Bangladesh of its fair share of water that disrupts irrigation in many areas adjacent to the River Padma. Water supply through the Ganges-Kobadak Irrigation Project has, as New Age reported on Monday, remained suspended for nine days as India is not allowing the agreed volume of water to flow through the Farakka Barrage. The Ganges Water Sharing Treaty guarantees India the withdrawal of 35,000 cusecs of water for 10 days in a row and entitles Bangladesh to the same flow of water for the next 10 days. The rotation is known as the guarantee period that is stipulated to be in effect in the lean period. Bangladesh, which has been on its guarantee period since April 21, however, is reported to have not received the agreed volume of water. Water flow in the River Padma has been, as Water Development Board officials say, recorded to be the lowest this season since 2016.

Such a situation has made it difficult for the GKIP, which channels water from the River Padma through a canal for distribution for agricultural use covering about one lakh hectares in Kushtia, Chuadanga, Jhenidah and Magura, to channel the required amount of water to its coverage area. Two of the GKIP pumps, as the authorities say, could not be run due to a low water level. An inadequate water supply is likely either to destroy rice production at the flowering stage or to increase the production cost as farmers might meet their demand by lifting water from underground. Being deprived of the fair share of trans-boundary rivers — Bangladesh and India share at least 54 rivers while there is water sharing agreement only on the water of the River Ganges — is not new for Bangladesh. What, however, comes as worrying is that Dhaka has largely been unable to pressurise New Delhi to abide by the Ganges treaty and to come to sign water sharing agreement on the water of other rivers. Dhaka, rather, appears to have been capitualistic when it comes to demanding its fair share. Dhaka has also failed to take a firm stand on other critical issues such as border killing and abrupt suspension of export of essentials by India.

The relationship between Bangladesh and India has growingly been strained and prickly over the issues of water sharing and unabated border killing. Other issues such as the abrupt suspension of the delivery of the Covid vaccines, for which Bangladesh has already paid to the Indian manufacturer, send a message antithetical to friendship. Dhaka must, under the circumstances, slough off its capitualistic approach to New Delhi and take a stand on the issues while New Delhi should also understand that friendly bilateral relation does not work this way.