Kolkata: A Bangladeshi delegation of the Joint River Commission (JRC) arrived in Bengal on Monday and visited the Ganges at Farakka regarding the Ganga Water Treaty, which is due for renewal in 2026, an official said.
One of the functions of the Farakka Barrage in Murshidabad district is regulation of water to Bangladesh as per the Indo-Bangladesh Treaty, 1996, on sharing of the Ganga water.
The 86th meeting of the joint committee, as per the provisions of the Treaty and the technical meeting under the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission Framework are scheduled to be held in Kolkata on March 6 and 7.
“The Bangladeshi delegation of the Joint River Commission (JRC) reached Kolkata this morning and immediately left for the joint observation site on the Ganges at Farakka.
The Commission will be in Farakka until March 5,” an official of the state Irrigation & Waterways department told a news agency.
The delegation will then return to Kolkata for the two-day meeting, the official said.
According to state government officials, the Joint River Commission which includes members from the
governments of India, Bangladesh and Bengal, meets once a year to discuss issues regarding the cross-boundary river.
According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers.
The Joint Rivers Commission of India and Bangladesh was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual
interest on common, border and transboundary rivers.