Will India & Bangladesh Solve their Water Crisis? Future Revealed! Featured Voice Nidhi Nagabhatla
Podcast: India–Bangladesh Cooperation on Water Security
With 50+ shared rivers, including the mighty Ganges, India and Bangladesh are bound together by water. These rivers are lifelines for millions, yet they face growing stress from climate variability, rising demand, pollution, and seasonal extremes of flood and drought. The 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was historic, ensuring more equitable dry-season flows and creating a cooperative mechanism. But today’s challenges—climate change, shifting socio-economic needs, and upstream interventions—demand a renewed and forward-looking framework. Nidhi Nagabhta shares insights with Neeraj Singh Manhas for the Asia Confluence dialogue on shaping a stable and prosperous Asia—where ecology is honoured, diversity celebrated, prosperity shared, and boundaries become bridges. She reflected on how flexible a treaty would move the region from managing scarcity to building shared resilience, trust, and prosperity. Water sharing is never just technical—it’s deeply political and geopolitical. Yet, with vision and collaboration, rivers can unite rather than divide.
She argues that looking forward, water sharing arrangements in transboundary basins could take note of
- Climate-resilient provisions & adaptive management
- Joint river basin management & real-time data sharing
- Flood forecasting and equitable dry-season allocation
- Ecological restoration & pollution control
- Community engagement to safeguard agriculture & livelihoods
- Benefit-sharing in navigation, energy, and ecosystem services
Click here for the recording.
