Buxar: RJD MP from Buxar Sudhakar Singh on Sunday wrote to PM Narendra Modi seeking measures to protect Bihar’s water, navigation and economic interests ahead of the Dec 2026 review of the 1996 India-Bangladesh Ganga Water Sharing Agreement.Citing a Bihar water resources department report, Singh said the review, 30 years after the agreement was signed, offered an opportunity to address Bihar’s concerns over Ganga flows, upstream water utilisation, floods and navigation.Singh said Bihar, being landlocked, depended heavily on the Ganga as its economical link to Haldia and Kolkata ports and national and international markets. He said the river’s economic and navigational potential must be protected alongside water-sharing commitments. The report cited shortages of 330 cumecs in Feb, 487 cumecs in March and 191 cumecs in April against planning benchmarks.Singh also raised concerns over upstream projects and alleged Bihar had not been adequately consulted on decisions affecting the inter-state river system. He pointed to the 1996 agreement, concluded without Bihar’s consent, and recalled a 1997 meeting where the Centre acknowledged that sharing Ganga water among co-basin states would require participation of all eight Ganga basin states.He urged the Centre to determine riparian states’ water shares, restrict upstream utilisation and make Bihar a stakeholder in future negotiations.Singh also sought year-round navigability on National Waterway-1, with a minimum depth of 2.5-3 metres up to Buxar/Patna, dredging, river-training measures and multimodal terminals at Buxar, Patna, Bhagalpur, Munger and Katihar.He sought flood management measures and central assistance for anti-erosion works.
