Bangladesh has said it does not want its friendly relations with India to suffer over the long-running dispute on sharing the waters of the Teesta River. Dhaka has urged New Delhi to consider Bangladesh’s concerns while protecting its own interests. The issue has gained fresh attention as Bangladesh moves ahead with a proposed Teesta River management and restoration project with Chinese support.

Bangladesh Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee made the remarks at a seminar in Dhaka. He said India should take Bangladesh’s interests into account while dealing with the water-sharing dispute. Calling India a friendly country, he stressed that Dhaka wants to maintain good relations with New Delhi.

“The neighbouring country is a friendly country. They have to think that while they have their interests, we also have ours. A friend should protect the interests of a friend. We never want our friendly relations with them to deteriorate,” Anee said at a seminar in Dhaka, according to TBS News.

The minister’s comments came as Bangladesh renewed its efforts to find a solution to the Teesta issue. Dhaka is considering the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project with Chinese assistance. The project focuses on several problems affecting northern Bangladesh. These include recurring floods, river erosion and water shortages during the dry season.

Anee said the government had organised several seminars and consultations since the February election. These meetings aimed to gather views from experts on the proposed project. He said the government would use the recommendations from a detailed study to decide its next steps.

The minister described the project as a major challenge for the government. People in five to six northern districts have high expectations from the plan after years of facing river erosion and other problems. Anee said failing to implement the project would allow the difficulties faced by families in these areas to grow. “If we fail to implement it, the damage and problems faced by families in those areas will continue to increase. We have to overcome this challenge anyhow,” he said.

The Teesta dispute has remained a major issue in water cooperation between India and Bangladesh for decades. The river originates in the Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh. It later joins the Jamuna, which is the name used for the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh.

The river plays an important role in agriculture and livelihoods in northern Bangladesh. Its water is also important for irrigation and power generation in West Bengal. This has made the distribution of Teesta waters a sensitive issue for both sides.

India and Bangladesh have discussed sharing the river’s waters since the 1980s. An interim arrangement reached in 1983 allocated 39 per cent of the water to India and 36 per cent to Bangladesh. The remaining 25 per cent was left unallocated.

The two countries finalised a draft interim agreement in 2011. However, they could not sign it after opposition from the then Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal. The state government raised concerns over the availability of water for West Bengal.

Anee said Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was regularly discussing the proposed Teesta project. Government departments and inter-ministerial meetings were also reviewing its progress. The minister said Bangladesh urgently needed a treaty and would continue working towards the project regardless of whether it was called a Teesta treaty or a master plan.

Bangladesh has also been strengthening cooperation with China on the proposed project. During his official visit to Beijing in June, Rahman held talks with Chinese leaders. Beijing agreed to speed up a technical feasibility study for the Teesta restoration project.

China’s involvement has given the Teesta issue a wider strategic dimension. Northern Bangladesh lies close to the Siliguri Corridor, a narrow stretch of Indian territory that connects the northeastern states with the rest of the country. This geographical factor has added to India’s strategic interest in developments around the project.

India has maintained that the Teesta issue should be discussed with all relevant stakeholders. West Bengal is among the key stakeholders in the matter. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in July that India had already conveyed its views on the proposed Teesta project to Bangladesh. He added that New Delhi would consider “all related developments” as part of its overall approach to the issue.

The Teesta dispute is separate from the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty signed by India and Bangladesh in 1996. The treaty is due to expire in December 2026. India and Bangladesh share 54 transboundary rivers and deal with water-related matters through the Joint Rivers Commission.

For Bangladesh, resolving the Teesta issue remains important for northern districts that depend heavily on the river. At the same time, Dhaka has indicated that it does not want the dispute to damage its broader relationship with India. As Bangladesh studies the Chinese-backed restoration project, the Teesta question is likely to remain an important part of its ties with New Delhi.