Reassessing The Ganges Water Treaty in the Age of Climate Change: A Systematic Review of Legal, Hydrological, and Governance Dimensions

Abstract

The 1996 Ganges Water Treaty between India and Bangladesh was a milestone treaty designed to facilitate the management of the common water resources of the Ganges River. Twenty-two years later, the treaty remains a cornerstone of bilateral collaboration. The growing effects of climate change—experienced in the form of unpredictable rain patterns, recurring floods, and extended periods of drought—have, however, made the hydrological conditions that inform the treaty's provisions much more challenging. Meanwhile, increasing population pressures and shifting water demands in both nations pose a significant challenge to meaningful water sharing. This systematic review reviews the existing literature on the Ganges Water Treaty from legal, hydrological, and governance considerations, especially in the context of climate change. Applying a strict PRISMA-ScR methodology, the review finds common themes such as limited flexibility in the treaty to respond to changed flow regimes, poor provisions for real-time data exchange, and inadequacies in collaborative basin-wide planning. A number of researchers criticize the treaty's fixed water allocations, contending they do not capture changing environmental and socio-economic trends. Furthermore, implementation and reform hurdles, such as poor institutional coordination, political conflict, and insufficient inclusive stakeholder engagement, also arise as fundamental obstacles. The review captures how climate justice concerns—acknowledging disproportionate exposure of marginalized groups—are under-emphasized within current frameworks. The research indicates that any future treaty reforms will need to include adaptive governance precepts, foster data exchange-based transparency, and give the health of ecosystems equal weighting with human water requirements. Embedding these components could enable the Ganges Water Treaty to become a more robust and balanced instrument for tackling current and future water issues in a climate-vulnerable area.