International

India Assures Bihar Its Concerns Will Be Considered in Water-Sharing Pact With Bangladesh

23 August 2026 20:08 PM

NEWS DESK

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has assured Bihar that the state’s concerns over the Farakka Barrage and water-sharing arrangements with Bangladesh will be taken into consideration when India and Bangladesh renew their water-sharing agreement, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said on Saturday.

Choudhary said the renewal process for the Bangladesh-India water-sharing agreement is expected to begin toward the end of this year. He said the central government had responded positively to Bihar’s long-standing concerns and demands and agreed to raise them during the renewal process.

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Janata Dal-United (JDU) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha met Jaishankar in New Delhi on Friday. The meeting, initiated by the chief minister, was also attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and senior officials from the ministries of external affairs, water resources and finance.

The meeting discussed a range of issues concerning Bihar’s water resources, irrigation and flood management.

Vijay Kumar Choudhary alleged that Bihar’s interests were not adequately considered when the Bangladesh-India water-sharing agreement was signed nearly three decades ago.

He said most of the water reaching the Farakka Barrage originates from catchment areas in Bihar, but the state has not received what he described as its fair share for drinking water, irrigation and industrial use.

Choudhary called for Bihar’s interests to be given due importance during the renewal of the agreement.

According to a report by The Times of India, the meeting also focused on proposals to construct high-level reservoirs and dams on Nepal’s Kosi and other rivers.

A Joint Project Office (JPO) was established in Biratnagar, Nepal, in 2004 to advance preparatory work for proposed reservoir projects in Nepal.

Choudhary said the issue of Bihar’s representation in the JPO was also discussed during the meeting.

He claimed that Jaishankar assured them that Bihar would be represented in the JPO and that necessary steps would be taken in this regard. The office currently includes representatives of the Indian central government and Nepal.

The meeting also discussed several pending irrigation and flood-control projects in Bihar, according to the report.

Bihar Farakka Barrage water-sharing arrangements