In News:

• Bangladesh became the first country in South Asia to accede to the UN Water Convention.
• Move highlights growing importance of transboundary water governance amid climate change and upstream interventions.

UN Water Convention

• Official Name: Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes
• Adopted: 1992 (Helsinki)
• Entered into force: 1996
• Serviced by: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
• Original scope: Pan-European region
• Global access: Open to all UN Member States since March 2016

Core Features of the Convention

• Legally binding international framework
• Promotes:
  • Equitable and reasonable utilisation of shared watercourses
  • Prevention, control, and reduction of transboundary impacts
  • Sustainable management of international rivers and lakes
• Mandates:
  • Cooperation among riparian states
  • Formation of joint bodies and basin-level agreements
• Does not replace bilateral/multilateral treaties; rather supports and strengthens them
• Instrument for achieving SDGs, especially:
  • SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)
  • SDG 16 (Peace and Institutions)
  • SDG 17 (Partnerships)

Why Bangladesh Joined – Key Drivers

• Downstream dependency:
  • Shares the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) basin with India and China
  • Only ~7% of GBM watershed lies within Bangladesh
• Water stress indicators:
  • 60% population vulnerable to floods
  • 20–25% land flooded annually
  • 81 of 1,415 rivers dried up or near extinction
  • Salinity intrusion and sea-level rise in delta regions
• Climate change impacts:Altered Himalayan River flows
• Legal step:
  • Bangladesh High Court (2019) declared rivers as “legal persons”

Regional Context

• China:Motuo Hydropower Station on Yarlung Tsangpo (Tibet) – world’s largest proposed dam
• India:
  • Existing treaties:
    • Indus Waters Treaty (1960) – Pakistan
    • Ganges Water Treaty (1996) – Bangladesh (renewal due 2026)
  • Disputes:
    • Teesta River
    • Tipaimukh Dam (Barak River)
    • River interlinking concerns

India’s Concerns

• Convention may:
  • Strengthen Bangladesh’s negotiation position
  • Influence future Ganges Treaty renegotiation
• India traditionally prefers bilateral mechanisms over multilateral water frameworks
• Possibility of:
  • Nepal & Bhutan following Bangladesh
  • Bangladesh exploring trilateral cooperation with China and Pakistan