India and Bangladesh have begun the process to renew a landmark agreement on sharing the waters of the Ganges, as analysts warn political disputes and uncertainty over Dhaka’s general election could complicate talks between the two neighbours.
Officials from both sides have started joint measurements of water levels in the Ganges, or Padma as the river is known in Bangladesh, as part of preparations to renew the agreement signed in 1996 and due to expire in December this year, according to Indian media reports, citing officials.
The monitoring began last week and is scheduled to continue at 10-day intervals until May 31, a period that is critical for assessing dry-season flows, the reports say.
The talks come at a sensitive moment as the two countries navigate political and geographical knots bedevilling their ties, even as they assess hydrological data arising from one of the region’s most contested transboundary water-sharing arrangements that affect the livelihoods of millions of people.
Pintu Kumar Mahla, research associate at the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Centre, said two ongoing controversies might complicate the water talks between New Delhi and Dhaka.
A map controversy over “Greater Bangladesh” gained significant public attention and diplomatic concern last April after Islamist groups in the country reportedly published maps showing portions of eastern and northeastern India as part of Bangladesh.
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