Editorial
Framework deal on Teesta waters
Opportunity for wider Indo-Bangla river cooperation
A good deal of hope will certainly be generated by the deal on a framework of agreement on the Teesta waters reached by Bangladesh and India on Monday. The secretary-level talks of the Joint Rivers Commission stipulate an agreement that will cover a fifteen-year period in which the two countries will share the waters of the river. The significance of the deal, which will be followed by ministerial level talks in order to fine tune the details of the eventual agreement to be initialed by the prime ministers of India and Bangladesh, cannot be lost on anyone. Although this breakthrough comes after more than two decades of negotiations between Dhaka and Delhi, it must be pointed out that the Teesta waters have been high on the agenda since 1952, when the governments of India and the then Pakistan first tried hammering out a deal on them. In the post-1971 period, with the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state, the Teesta took on a seriousness that was as critical as, if not more critical than, the need for a sharing of the waters of the Ganges.
It was in 1982 that talks were revived on the modalities by which Bangladesh and India could share the waters of the Teesta. The mid-1980s were largely characterized by ad hoc deals on the river and since then, despite an Indo-Bangla deal on the Ganges in 1996, not much has happened about the Teesta. Now that a framework has been given shape on an eventual agreement to be arrived at, the question of what details have been covered in the framework and how the two nations will share the waters of the Teesta will naturally arise. It is particularly in the dry season, especially beginning in September and going up to March, that Bangladesh requires the Teesta waters to help organize its agriculture-related activities. Alongside Bangladesh's demand, there is the matter of how much water India needs in the same period. Interestingly, although during the dry season flow of the Teesta goes down to anywhere between 5,000 and 6,000 cusecs, the demand for water by Bangladesh and India are 8,000 cusecs and 21,000 cusecs respectively. It is an issue that needs careful handling. The expectation is that the ministerial level talks as well as the meeting of the two prime ministers will be able to tide over such problems.
The fifteen-year deal is obviously intended to be an interim one, given its time frame. Nevertheless, it is an optimistic beginning that should lead to wider openings in river cooperation between the two countries. For India and Bangladesh, in the interest of their future relations as well as the future of their peoples, it is important that at some point the matter of sharing river waters translate into the larger matter of development and joint management of common rivers. The Teesta deal is definitely a foundation on which further cooperation can be forged, especially on a sharing of the waters of the Dharla, Dudhkumar, Manu, Khowai, Gumti and Muhuri rivers.
We welcome the results of the talks in Dhaka and look forward to a substantive follow-up.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
Related News
An alarming report on children’s exposure to climate risks
7 MIN(s) ago
Editorial
Why is safe water inaccessible for millions despite rising spending?
11 hour(s) ago
Editorial
BB must confront bad loans’ true scale
18 June 2026, 18:38 PM
Editorial
Dolphin deaths must be investigated
18 June 2026, 08:00 AM
Editorial
Weak policing fuelling rise in crimes
17 June 2026, 18:18 PM
Editorial
Comments