Centre Denies Mamata Banerjee's Claims, Affirms West Bengal's Involvement in Ganga Water Treaty Review

Centre stated that West Bengal was consulted during the review of the Ganga Water Treaty with Bangladesh, refuting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's assertion that the state was excluded from the process. According to these sources, in April, the joint secretary (works) in West Bengal's irrigation and waterways department communicated the state's total water demand for the next 30 years from the stretch downstream of the Farakka Barrage.

India and Bangladesh signed the Ganga Water Treaty in 1996. The 30-year treaty is set to expire in 2026, but it may be extended by mutual agreement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday that India and Bangladesh will commence technical-level discussions for the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty.

In a letter to Modi, Banerjee had claimed that the decision to start talks for the renewal of the treaty was "unilateral" and urged the prime minister not to hold any such discussion with Bangladesh without involving the West Bengal government.

Sources in the Union government stated that on July 24 last year, the Centre had requested a nominee from the West Bengal government to join the committee conducting an "Internal Review of the India-Bangladesh Treaty of 1996 on Sharing of the Ganga/Ganges Waters at Farakka."