Using the Ganga and Teesta water-sharing cases, assess the role of Indian states in shaping India's transboundary river diplomacy.

Under the Constitution, water is a state subject (Entry 17, List II), but treaties belong to the Union (Entry 14, List I; Article 253). The Ganga Water Treaty (1996) expires on 12 December 2026 [1], and the Teesta deal is still unsigned. Both cases show that riparian states have grown from silent spectators into veto players in India's river diplomacy.

Ganga: the state as a stakeholder that must be consulted

• Farakka diverts lean-season water into the Hooghly to keep Kolkata Port navigable. So any extra water for Bangladesh comes out of West Bengal's share.
• In 2024, West Bengal protested that renewal talks had been started "unilaterally". The Centre says the state took part in inter-ministerial discussions (2023–25), and that its drinking and industrial water needs were taken into account [2].
• Bilateral renewal talks were "yet to commence" as of August 2025 [2]. MEA now calls the Joint Rivers Commission the "structured mechanism" for these talks [1].

Teesta: the state as a veto player

• The interim sharing agreement was finalised in 2011 and is still pending [3]. West Bengal's objection over north Bengal's irrigation needs stalled it.
• This hurt India's credibility and gave Dhaka space to look for external partners for managing the Teesta.

Assessment

• Constructive role: states bring ground-level knowledge of hydrology, livelihoods and the Sundarbans. Their involvement makes treaties workable and lasting, which is cooperative federalism in practice.
• Constraining role: electoral politics in the state can hold the national interest hostage, delay deals for years and weaken the Neighbourhood First policy.
• External stakes: Bangladesh joined the UN Water Convention in June 2025 [4]. Delays now carry a cost in global forums as well.
• Verdict: states don't legally decide river diplomacy, but in practice they decide whether it can be carried out.

Way forward

• Give the state a formal, statutory place in JRC technical talks.
• Set up benefit-sharing and compensation for the state, for example funding for Hooghly dredging.
• Work out a pre-negotiation Centre–state consensus through the Inter-State Council.

Ganga and Teesta both show that river diplomacy that skips the states fails, while a process held hostage by them stalls. Institutionalised Team India consultation could make the 2026 renewal a model of cooperative federalism. It would serve India's neighbourhood goals and SDG 6.5, which calls for transboundary water cooperation.