Kumar Krishnan, senior journalist
When river water reaches the fields, farmers call it flood and if the same water falls in summer, it is called thirst. This is the biggest contradiction of Ganga in Bihar. On one hand, the villages situated on the banks of the river suffer from erosion and floods every year, on the other hand, the question of adequate flow for irrigation, drinking water, navigation and fish life in summer arises, hence Ganga cannot be accounted for in cusecs only. Its account should also be recorded in the lives of people dependent on fields, fish, soil, groundwater, villages and rivers.
In this context, the question of completion of 30 years of India-Bangladesh Ganga Water Treaty of 1996 in December 2026 and its review has become important. Janata Dal (U) acting national president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Kumar Jha has demanded that instead of renewing the treaty in the same form, a scientific assessment of the water needs of the states belonging to the Ganga basin should be done by the year 2050 and Bihar's agriculture, drinking water, industry, groundwater, fisheries and environmental needs should be given proper place in it. Political differences have also come to the fore on this demand.
Buxar MP Sudhakar Singh, in a press conference in Patna on August 24, 2026, termed Sanjay Jha's statement misleading and said that it is necessary to study history and available documents before speaking on a sensitive topic like India-Bangladesh water treaty. He said that former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and the then Water Resources Minister Jagdanand Singh had been raising their voice earlier also regarding the interests and water rights of Bihar. Sudhakar Singh's basic question goes beyond this – when Bihar has Ganga water, why is it not being used? He says that once upon a time, hot paddy was cultivated in Bihar, but due to lack of water, that system ended.
It is this contradiction that must lie at the heart of Farakka's question. Farakka Barrage was built on the Ganga in Murshidabad district of West Bengal and became operational in 1975. Its objective was to increase flow in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly system by diverting water from the Ganga and reducing the problem of siltation in Kolkata Port. For this, about 38 kilometers long feeder canal was built. It was a major engineering project at the time, but the impact of a major blockage on a river is not limited to the amount of water alone. The river also carries silt, nutrients, fish and entire ecosystems.
For a long time, the question has been raised in Bihar as to what changes occurred in the behavior of river flow and silt due to Farakka. The experience of the local society is that in many areas, sand accumulation on agricultural lands has affected farming and erosion has displaced people, however, it would not be scientifically appropriate to hold Farakka alone responsible for every flood or erosion in Bihar. Water coming from Nepal and Himalayas, monsoon rains, tributaries like Kosi, Gandak and Ghaghra, embankments, drainage, natural structure of the river and climate change are also important reasons for this.
This also does not mean that the effect of Farakka should not be studied. Only a comparative study of water flow, silt, river bed, erosion and agricultural land data of the last five decades can bring this debate to the facts. This is the scientific approach that is needed today. The voice of fishermen is also important in this debate. It is sung in the folk-
Fishermen not found in Ganga ji
May you live in banana days brother…
This line is not scientific evidence, but is definitely a document of the experience of the society living on the river banks. The fisherman is the first to feel the change in the river. If the current changes, the water quality changes, the migration of fish gets affected or the breeding area changes – his livelihood is directly affected.
Ganga is also home to Gangetic dolphins and many other aquatic species. The question of natural migration of fishes like Hilsa has also been related to Farakka, hence future water policy should not just ask how much water should be divided between India and Bangladesh. It should also be asked how much and what type of flow is necessary to keep the Ganga alive.
This is where the question of environmental flows comes into play. Just releasing minimum cusecs into the river is not enough. Natural fluctuations in flow seasonally are essential for fish reproduction, dolphin habitat, groundwater recharge and biodiversity. It would be injustice to the river to turn it into a mere water pipeline.