December 12, 1996 (Rat-year winter and early), India and Bangladesh signed the sharing of the Ganges water treaty.

1996 12 12, in New Delhi, India and Bangladesh signed the Treaty on the sharing of Ganges water. The treaty is valid for 30 years. According to the newly signed treaty, Bangladesh every January 1 to May 31, May dry season, when the Ganges water flow in of 70,000 seconds cubic feet (about 1980 cubic meters per second) or more, the average daily can share 35000 seconds cubic feet (about 990 cubic meters per second) of the Ganges water. When the river flows below 70,000 seconds cubic feet, Bangladesh can share half of the water flow.
this historic treaty in the relations between the two countries by the Prime Minister of India up India being a three-day official visit to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed.
India and Bangladesh in 1977 signed an agreement to a sharing of the Ganges water. In accordance with the agreement reached at that time, Bangladesh share 34,500 seconds cubic feet of Ganges water per day during the dry season. However, the agreement is executed only five years. January 1, 1997, 75 in West Bengal, India's Farakka dam gates slowly open the rapids of the Ganges water flow to neighboring Bangladesh, Bangladesh and India which declared the allocation of the Ganges water treaty came into effect. originated in the Himalayas foothill
Ganges flowing through India and Bangladesh into the Bay of Bengal, a total length of 2580 km. Residents on both sides of China and India and Bangladesh Ganges generations of and Kap Shui farming, drinking water interest-earning. In 1970, India near Bangladesh Ganges upstream construction of the Farakka dam, cut down the middle of the Ganges water. Since then, Bangladesh is located in the downstream each year during the dry season of serious water shortage. Drought Bangladesh large tracts of farmland poor harvests, a serious shortage of water for people and livestock, the ecological balance of devastated. In the past 20 years, the the Ganges water allocation problem become a major obstacle to hinder the development of the Bangladesh-India relations.