Bangladesh Minister Seeks India Ties Stay Strong Despite Lingering Teesta Water Dispute

Bangladesh does not want its friendly relations with India to deteriorate because of the long-pending Teesta water-sharing dispute, Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said, while urging New Delhi to take Dhaka's interests into account alongside its own. His remarks came as Bangladesh renewed efforts to address longstanding water-management problems in the Teesta basin. "The neighbouring country is a friendly country. They have to think that while they have their interests, we also have ours," Anee was quoted as saying by TBS News at a seminar in Dhaka.

He stressed that Bangladesh wanted to preserve its relationship with India despite differences over the sharing and management of the river's waters. "A friend should protect the interests of a friend. We never want our friendly relations with them to deteriorate," Anee said. The comments reflect Dhaka's attempt to keep the Teesta dispute within the broader framework of its bilateral relationship with India, even as Bangladesh continues to seek a solution to the water-sharing issue.

Bangladesh has also been pursuing a proposed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project with Chinese support. The project is aimed at addressing recurring flooding, riverbank erosion and water shortages during the dry season in northern Bangladesh. The Teesta is an important river for communities in the region, where fluctuations in water availability have long affected agriculture and livelihoods. Anee said the government had held several seminars and consultations since the February election to gather opinions from experts on the proposed project.

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He said recommendations emerging from the discussions would form the basis of a detailed study, after which the government would be able to take concrete steps on the initiative. The minister described implementation of the project as a major challenge, pointing to the expectations of residents in five or six northern districts who have faced years of river erosion and related difficulties. He warned that failure to implement a solution would mean continued hardship for families living in affected areas.

The Teesta issue has remained a sensitive element of India-Bangladesh relations for years. While the two countries share the river and have discussed water-sharing arrangements, a comprehensive agreement has remained unresolved. Bangladesh's latest push for a river-management project with Chinese involvement adds another dimension to the issue, even as Dhaka signals that it does not want disagreements over the Teesta to damage its broader ties with New Delhi.

Anee's remarks underline Bangladesh's effort to balance its domestic water-management priorities with the importance it attaches to relations with India. For Dhaka, addressing flooding, erosion and dry-season shortages remains an urgent concern, while maintaining a cooperative relationship with its neighbour continues to be a stated priority. The proposed project and renewed consultations could therefore shape the next phase of Bangladesh's approach to the long-running Teesta challenge.

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