Bangladesh does not want its friendly ties with India to deteriorate over the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement, a senior Minister has said, urging New Delhi to take into account Dhaka’s interests while pursuing its own.

“The neighbouring country is a friendly country. They have to think that while they have their interests, we also have ours,” Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee was quoted as saying by news portal tbsnews.net at a seminar.

“A friend should protect the interests of a friend. We never want our friendly relations with them to deteriorate,” he said.

Mr. Anee’s remarks on Sunday (August 16, 2026) come amid a renewed push by Bangladesh to address the Teesta issue, including through the proposed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project with China’s support, as Dhaka seeks to tackle recurring floods, river erosion and dry-season water shortages in the country’s northern districts.

He said the government had organised several seminars and consultations since the February election to gather expert views on the proposed Teesta project.

A detailed study based on those recommendations would help the government take concrete steps, Mr. Anee said at the seminar titled ‘Sustainable Management of the Teesta River’, jointly organised by the Ministry of Water Resources and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

Describing the project as a major challenge, the minister said people in five to six northern districts had high expectations from it after suffering for years from river erosion and other problems.

“If we fail to implement it, the damage and problems faced by families in those areas will continue to increase. We have to overcome this challenge anyhow,” he said.

The Teesta issue has remained a major irritant in India-Bangladesh water cooperation for decades.

Why Teesta matters

The Teesta originates in the Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh, where it eventually joins the Jamuna, the Bangladeshi name for the Brahmaputra.

While the river is particularly important for agriculture and livelihoods in northern Bangladesh, it is vital for irrigation and power generation in West Bengal. Several hydropower projects are located in the river’s upper catchment areas, and nearly half a dozen districts in North Bengal depend on its waters.

India and Bangladesh have discussed sharing the Teesta waters since the 1980s. An interim arrangement reached in 1983 provided for 39% of the water to India and 36% to Bangladesh, with the remaining 25% unallocated. It was followed by further negotiations, but no comprehensive long-term agreement was reached.

A draft interim agreement was finalised in 2011, which envisaged a sharing formula for the dry season. However, it could not be signed after opposition from the West Bengal government over concerns about the impact on water availability in the state.

Mr. Anee said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman regularly discusses the project, while departmental and inter-ministerial meetings review its progress.

Asserting that a treaty is “urgently needed”, he said, “Whether it is called the Teesta treaty or the Teesta master plan, or whatever is necessary to implement this project, we will move towards implementation.” During his official visit to Beijing in June, Mr. Rahman had held high-level talks with Chinese leadership, securing Beijing’s commitment to expedite the technical feasibility study for the contentious Teesta restoration project.

Bangladesh’s decision to seek Chinese involvement in the Teesta project has added a strategic dimension to the issue.

For India, the prospect of a deeper Chinese footprint in northern Bangladesh is more sensitive because of the region’s proximity to the Siliguri Corridor, the narrow land link connecting the country’s Northeastern states with the rest of India.

India has maintained that the Teesta issue needs to be addressed through discussions with all relevant stakeholders, including West Bengal.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in July said that India’s views on the proposed Teesta river project had already been conveyed to the Bangladeshi side.

He said India would factor in “all related developments” in its “overall approach to the Teesta issue”.

The Teesta issue is separate from the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, signed by India and Bangladesh in 1996 for 30 years and due to expire in December 2026. The two countries share 54 transboundary rivers and address water-related issues through the Joint Rivers Commission.

Published – August 18, 2026 12:30 pm IST

Adviser for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Spokeswoman of Bangladesh’s interim government, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, speaks during a press briefing in Dhaka on August 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Bangladesh may consider approaching an international platform for resolving the Teesta waters dispute, the new interim government’s adviser on water, forest, environment and climate change Syeda Rizwana Hasan said on Wednesday.

Referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s assertive stance on the Teesta, Ms. Hasan said the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus would take up the issues related to shared rivers between the two countries “forcefully”.

“We will not back down from presenting the rights of Bangladesh on the waters of the Teesta. You must have seen that in India, Mamata Banerjee says that she will not give us water while depriving her own people. So we will bring up the aspirations of our people living along the banks of the Teesta to the table,” Ms. Hasan said at a press interaction in the secretariat.

Advocating for Bangladesh

Ms. Hasan has been one of Bangladesh’s biggest champions for the environment and water resources, for which she won the 2012 Magsaysay award. She announced that Bangladesh’s new government would hold a dialogue with New Delhi regarding the shared rivers, including the Teesta. “The Joint River Commission has been negotiating on the Teesta waters but this time we will include the people who live along the Teesta in Bangladesh,” she promised.

“Whether we will get the water or not is not in our hands but we will have to speak about the issue always. This we will convey very clearly to India,” said Ms. Hasan, noting that Bangladesh has agreements with India on shared rivers such as the Kushiyara and Feni. She added that Dhaka and New Delhi will have to negotiate the renewal of their 1996 Ganga water sharing agreement, which was concluded during the now-ousted Sheikh Hasina’s first tenure as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The Kushiyara agreement was signed in September 2022, when Ms. Hasina had visited New Delhi, finalising the first agreement on shared rivers since the 1996 Ganga agreement.

The Teesta negotiations, however, did not make any progress during Ms. Hasina’s latest 15-year tenure that ended on August 5, when her government was toppled by a massive public movement.

‘Just demands’

Discussing her ‘mandate’ to look after Bangladesh’s interests with regard to the shared rivers, Ms. Hasan said, “We will maintain friendly relations with India but we will present our claims and demands forcefully and may even approach international platforms to speak about our just demands.” She pointed out that Bangladesh has received invitations to discuss water-related matters from multiple countries, including from China. “Wherever we feel necessary, we will send our interlocutor,” Ms. Hasan said.

The shared rivers between the two countries came to the forefront on Wednesday as parts of eastern Bangladesh, especially Comilla and Moulavibazar, were inundated after heavy rains lashed neighbouring Tripura over the last few days.

Protests continue

Dhaka, which was battered by heavy rains on Wednesday, was additionally rocked by dramatic protests by students, workers and shopkeepers who demanded punishment for businessmen who were associated with the former PM, Ms. Hasina.

The police maintained a vigil and chose not to carry out any punitive action even as the capital witnessed daylong chaos on the roads because of the protest. The police forces continue to attend public duty without arms, and are often seen under the care of the military. Public sentiment continues to run high because of the large number of casualties that took place in police firing in the first few days of August.