Bangladesh seeks a new agreement with a dry-season guarantee instead of extending the 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, which expires on 12 December

According to a report by The Climate Watch dated 24 September, Anee announced at the Kollolini 2026 river dialogue, supported by the European Union, AFD, the Netherlands, GIZ and Switzerland, that a proposal was being prepared for a new text to secure dry-season sharing at the Farakka Barrage, replacing the treaty signed in 1996 for 30 years that expires on 12 December 2026. According to a Views Bangladesh report the same day, the minister said that without adequate water security in January–May, agriculture, fisheries and the wider economy would be at serious risk; Bangladesh had previously demanded the return of the guarantee clause that featured in the 1977 agreement but was dropped from the 1996 text. The minister also said Bangladesh would take a firm stance on flood damage caused by uncontrolled flows during the monsoon.

India's position draws a different framework: as reported by The Business Standard, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 4 August 2026 that talks would proceed through the existing mechanism, that the two countries share 54 common rivers and that the Joint Rivers Commission is the venue for this work. According to the same report, Bangladesh's Minister of State Shama Obaed Islam had said on 9 July that negotiations were progressing positively. According to Views Bangladesh, domestic and foreign feasibility studies for the Teesta project are under way, and the financing model will be determined by the results. The specific flow figure Bangladesh will demand was not included in the 24 September statements; the numerical framework of its negotiating position therefore could not be verified.