Bangladesh wants a fresh agreement with India on sharing the Ganges water, rather than simply renewing the existing deal, with Dhaka seeking terms that it says would better protect the country's interests.
Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee made the remarks while speaking to reporters after attending the national dialogue “Kollolini: A River Dialogue 2026” at Aloki Convention Centre in Dhaka on Thursday. He said, “We are interested in signing a new and equitable agreement that protects Bangladesh’s interests.”
The event was convened under the Team Europe Initiative on Climate and Energy in Bangladesh and jointly organized by the European Union, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Embassy of the Netherlands, GIZ and the Embassy of Switzerland.
Anee said the framework of any new agreement would have to take into account Bangladesh’s geographical position, ecological balance and actual water requirements during the dry and monsoon seasons.
“The country’s interests must remain protected at any cost,” he said, adding that Bangladesh wants a specific “guarantee clause” in the agreement to ensure its right to receive a fair share of water.
The minister warned that inadequate water flows during the dry season could have serious consequences for agriculture, fisheries and the wider economy.
“If there is no water in the dry season and no guarantee clause, we will have to suffer a lot. It will become a desert. Agriculture and fish production will be disrupted,” he said.
He also warned that excessive water flows during the monsoon could cause flooding and inundation, affecting agriculture and the wider economy.
Asked about the proposed Teesta Barrage project, Anee said the government had already received several feasibility studies, including technical assistance.
“We have already started work to complete and make the necessary studies visible as soon as possible, in line with the election manifesto and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s commitment,” he said.
He added that the government had so far decided to implement the project under a government-to-government framework, with the next steps to be determined based on the feasibility studies.
Anee also stressed the urgency of restoring Dhaka’s rivers, including the Buriganga, Turag, Balu, Shitalakkhya and Bangshi.
He said structural river protection projects alone would not solve the crisis and called for identifying the root causes of pollution, enforcing strict conservation policies and strengthening international cooperation.
At the opening session, Anee described rivers as the backbone of the economy and called for collective action to protect the country’s waterways.
The day-long dialogue, themed “Knowing Our Rivers, Deciding Together,” brought together government agencies, development partners, experts, researchers, civil society representatives, private-sector actors, river-dependent communities and young people.
The opening session, “Understanding Where We Stand, Exploring Where We Go,” featured Anee as chief guest.
Cynthia Mela, country director of the French Development Agency (AFD) Bangladesh; Michal Krejza, minister counsellor and head of Development Cooperation of the EU Delegation; French Ambassador Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet; and Dutch Ambassador Joris van Bommel were among the participants.
Water resources and climate expert Malik Fida A Khan, senior adviser at RedOrange, outlined the scale of pollution, encroachment and loss of river connectivity.
A high-level panel moderated by Arnob Chakrabarty, managing director of Red Orange Limited, included Asian Development Bank Country Director Qingfeng Zhang, film director Tapash Paul of Drik Picture Library and Mahabuba Rahman, joint secretary-general of Riverine People.
The first thematic session, “From Investment to Impact: Long-Term Collaboration for a Better River,” was chaired by SM Zobaidul Kabir, joint secretary and delta wing chief of the General Economics Division of the Bangladesh Planning Commission, and moderated by Nishchal Sardjoe of Deltares.
Participants included Md Istiak Sobhan, senior environmental specialist at the World Bank; Bapon Fakhruddin, senior specialist for Water Resources Management at the Green Climate Fund; Sheikh Hossain Muhammad Mustafiz, director of BGMEA and managing director of Cute Dress Industry Ltd; Martina Liebermann of GIZ; Ivan K Landers of the Asian Development Bank; and Bipasha Hossain, country representative of IUCN.
The second thematic session, “From Plans to Practice: Closing the Implementation and Maintenance Gap in River Governance,” was chaired by State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad and moderated by Shreya Chakraborty of the International Water Management Institute.
Representatives from the Netherlands Embassy, Swiss Embassy, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Footsteps and Parlement de la Loire also participated.
“The government is trying their utmost best to explore the causes our rivers are dying and drying up,” Azad said, highlighting the Delta Plan 2100 and the need to reverse river decline.
The afternoon session, “Rivers as Living Entities: From Legal Recognition to River Rights,” featured a video message from Yuvelis Morales Blanco, judge at the International Rights of Nature Tribunal and 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize recipient.
Moderated by Farah Anzum, the session included BELA Chief Executive Taslima Islam, BUET’s Sara Nowreen, Emmanuel Schlichter of Rechte de Nature, AFD expert Farid Lamara and National River Conservation Commission Secretary Md Moniruzzaman Talukder.
The closing session featured Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan as chief guest and State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam as guest of honour.
“It’s not that we need to protect rivers. The rivers protect us. That’s why I’m saying ‘rivers of life’. Human beings on this earth owe a lot of their subsistence to the rivers, and in particular in Bangladesh. The rivers have formed what we call the Bay of Bengal, to which all the rivers flow. They come over Bengal and have created this alluvial soil on which the Bengalis survive. That’s why I look at the rivers of Bangladesh as the rivers of life for us. This is extremely important for us,” Moyeen Khan said.
Shaikh Faridul Islam said authorities had identified around 424 sources of pollution discharging dirty water into rivers.
He said: “We already identified the sources of pollution, around 424 points, discharging dirty water into the river. Dhaka city corporations, north and south, WASA and industrial pollution all together, everyone is contributing to this pollution. So water bodies are getting worse, and we are trying to fix it. We have already tried to put in place some mechanisms and cooperation with local government, law enforcement agencies, the Department of Environment and, as a whole, our ministry. We are trying to address this issue, sitting with everyone and trying to fix the agenda with long-term, short-term and mid-term commitments.”
EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation Michael Miller, Swiss Ambassador Reto Renggli and German Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Daniel Blum were also among the special guests.
The dialogue concluded with recommendations for stronger governance and legal protection, improved implementation, investment and accountability, greater multisectoral participation, and continued monitoring and knowledge-sharing.