Kolkata: A six-member delegation from Bangladesh is likely to arrive in Kolkata on Thursday to discuss the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty. During their four-day visit, the delegation is scheduled to measure the river water flow through the Farakka Barrage.According to sources, the team led by Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) member Md Anwar Kadir will attend the 90th joint committee meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission in Kolkata. The delegation also includes hydrology expert Md Sazzad Hossain, JRC director Mohammad Abu Sayed, and Md Baky Billah, director (South Asia I) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.The Ganges Water Treaty, signed in 1996, is set to expire in Dec 2026. The last meeting of the commission on the implementation of the treaty was held in Dhaka in April this year. Those talks focused on ensuring equitable water distribution during the critical dry season, alongside ironing out trans-boundary river management issues before the pact expires.Sources said the treaty establishes a 30-day water sharing formula for the lean season — between Jan and May — at the Farakka Barrage. Accordingly, the delegation will visit the joint flow measurement site at the Farakka Barrage in line with treaty guidelines. In the previous meeting in Dhaka, officials also conducted joint flow measurement activities at the Hardinge Bridge on the Padma River to verify downstream water allocations.
