Ganges Treaty Nears Expiry | Sangita Kalanidhi Award

Ganges Treaty Nears Expiry

International Relations

Context

• India and Bangladesh have initiated a joint water measurement initiative on the Ganga and Padma rivers as the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty enters its final year before expiry in December 2026.

Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996

• It was signed on 12 December 1996 between India and Bangladesh.
• It governs the sharing of Ganges waters at the Farakka Barrage, located in West Bengal, about 18 km upstream of the Bangladesh border.

Origins of the Ganges Water Dispute

• Construction of Farakka Barrage (1975): India completed the Farakka Barrage in 1975 to divert water into the Hooghly River.
• Purpose was to flush out silt & improve navigability of the Kolkata Port.

Bangladesh’s Concerns- As a lower riparian state, Bangladesh argued that reduced downstream flows:

• Harmed agriculture and fisheries
• Disrupted river navigation
• Increased salinity intrusion in coastal areas
• Threatened the Sundarbans ecosystem
• This disagreement became one of South Asia’s most persistent transboundary water disputes.

Steps Taken

• Five-year Ganges Agreement (Interim), 1977
• Memoranda of Understanding on Flow Sharing in 1982 & 1985
• Teesta Water Sharing Agreement: 2011; Proposed but unsigned.

Additional Information – Ganga River

• Origin: Gangotri Glacier in Uttarakhand
• Length: Approximately 2,525 km.
• Basin Area: Covers about 8,61,452 sq. km in India, nearly 27% of India’s landmass over 11 Indian states.
• Significance – It supports over 45% of India’s population.
• States Covered: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and parts of several others.

Major Tributaries of the Ganga River,

• Left Bank Tributaries: Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Koshi, Mahananda.
• Right Bank Tributaries: Yamuna, Tons, Karamnasa, Sone, Punpun, Falgu, Kiul, Chandan, Ajoy, Damodar, Rupnarayan.
• The Ganga enters as the Padma River into Bangladesh below the Farakka Barrage, eventually merging with the Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
• Delta: Forms the world’s largest delta, the Sundarbans, shared by India and Bangladesh.

Sangita Kalanidhi Award

Culture

Context

• Sangita Kalanidhi award was conferred on violinist R.K. Shriramkumar.

Sangita Kalanidhi award

• It was instituted in 1942 by the Madras Music Academy.
• The award is considered the highest recognition for excellence in Carnatic music and is often regarded as the “Nobel Prize” of Carnatic music.
• The award comprises a gold medal and a birudu patra (citation).
• Since 2005, the Sangita Kalanidhi awardees have also received the MS Subbulakshmi Award instituted by The Hindu.

Additional Information – M.S. Subbulakshmi’s Legacy

• S. Subbulakshmi was an iconic Carnatic singer, She was the

1. first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award in 1974
2. first Indian to perform at the United Nations General Assembly in 1966.
3. first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1998.