Modi Fast-Tracks Teesta River Management After Hasina's China Nudge
New Delhi, June 24 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accelerated an India-led initiative on the conservation and management of the Teesta river system following a pointed remark from Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina about considering a Chinese proposal.
“An Indian technical team will soon visit Dhaka for talks on the conservation and management of Teesta,” Modi announced during a joint media briefing with Hasina. He also revealed plans to commence negotiations for renewing the Ganga Water Treaty of 1996, which expires in 2026.
This swift move comes just ten days after Hasina told her parliament about exploring a Chinese proposal for the restoration and management of the Teesta. Despite this development, some sources in Dhaka highlighted New Delhi's omission of any reference to sharing the Teesta’s waters, a long-standing and critical issue for Bangladesh.
Ainun Nishat, a water resource and climate change specialist in Bangladesh, warned that New Delhi’s proposal might be perceived as a stalling tactic. “The approach of sending a study team will be looked at with suspicion here unless they adopt a two-pronged approach, in which they first offer an interim arrangement on water-sharing and then go on to discussions about the restoration and management of the river,” Nishat said.
“As a lower riparian country, Bangladesh has a legitimate demand on the Teesta’s waters. Unless an interim arrangement on sharing is done, the proposal of the study team will be considered a time-killing tactic by India,” he added.
The Teesta, the fourth-largest of the 54 transboundary rivers shared by the two countries, has been a contentious issue since 2011 when a last-minute objection by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee derailed a water-sharing agreement during then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka. Consequently, around 50,000 hectares of land on the Teesta’s banks in northwest Bangladesh remain uncultivated during the dry season due to water scarcity.
In this context, China has emerged as a potential partner for Bangladesh, proposing a $1-billion Teesta river management project four years ago. This project includes dredging, building reservoirs, laying a drainage system, and constructing embankments and satellite cities along the river. While some factions within the ruling Awami League support the Chinese proposal, Hasina, known for her pro-India stance, has expressed hope that New Delhi will resolve the water-sharing impasse.
However, Hasina's recent comments to the Bangladesh parliament about her government exploring the Chinese proposal indicate a possible shift in stance due to frustration over the stalled agreement with India. “The Indian proposal on a technical team visiting Bangladesh to study the conservation and management of the Teesta lacks specifics,” an anonymous source in Dhaka stated. “This seems like a hurried response to our Prime Minister’s comments on exploring the Chinese option.”
During a subsequent media interaction, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra did not provide specific details, stressing that the management of shared water resources was a "crucial and sensitive matter." He mentioned that the two leaders discussed how the Teesta’s conservation needed a "fair degree of technical management" but did not commit to water-sharing. “It’s less about water-sharing per se, it’s more about the management of the water flows within the Teesta river,” Kwatra said.
Sources within Bangladesh’s ruling establishment acknowledged Modi’s mention of the Teesta but noted that the absence of any mention of "water-sharing" could exacerbate the Awami League government’s difficulties. Hasina’s administration faces domestic challenges, including economic hardships and criticism over perceived failures to secure Bangladesh’s rights from India. A faction within the Awami League, including individuals close to Hasina, advocates for greater engagement with China.
With Hasina set to visit China in three weeks, sources suggested that India’s proposal might be an attempt to preempt a potential agreement between Dhaka and Beijing. “She cannot sit on Beijing's proposal for long,” a source remarked, highlighting the strategic implications if Bangladesh collaborates with China, which could bring Chinese presence within 100km of the India-Bangladesh border.
The timing of Hasina’s visit to India, finalized quickly after her parliamentary comments, appears to be influenced by these dynamics. A source indicated that New Delhi might have sought to outmaneuver Beijing by hosting Hasina before her China visit. During Kwatra's media interaction, questions about whether Hasina's upcoming China visit had featured in the bilateral talks arose, but Kwatra emphasized that discussions focused on bilateral cooperation.
In addition to addressing the Teesta issue, the bilateral talks resulted in agreements to enhance cooperation in bilateral trade and connectivity, a green partnership, digital collaboration, and cooperation in the blue economy and space research. Both leaders emphasized a “shared vision” for regional peace, prosperity, and development driven by connectivity, commerce, and collaboration.
