Patna. Fourteen significant demands concerning Bihar's water security have been presented to the central government, focusing on the Ganga Water Treaty and the Farakka Barrage. These demands emerged from a one-day discussion organized under the banner of Bihar Policy Dialogue at the Babu Jagjivan Ram Research Institute.

Speakers emphasized that the Ganga is not merely a source of faith, irrigation, and drinking water for Bihar and Nepal, but also a crucial conduit for the state's economic activities and access to the sea. The discussion centered on ensuring equitable use of Ganga basin water and long-term water security for Bihar. Key demands include making Bihar a formal stakeholder in the India-Bangladesh Ganga water talks, curbing excessive water usage by upstream states, and establishing a formal mechanism involving all eight Ganga basin states. Speakers also called for no new water projects in upstream states to be approved until water availability and state needs are assessed.

Prominent figures such as former Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary, RJD State President Mangani Lal Mandal, MP Sudhakar Singh, water expert Nilay Upadhyay, and Padma Shri Prof. Ravindra Sinha participated in the discussion. They stressed the need for consent from all co-basin states before any new or revised agreements and for determining the water contribution from Ganga's tributaries.

Additionally, the discussion called for maintaining a navigable depth of 2.5 to 3 meters throughout the year from Buxar to Allahabad, regular dredging for silt management, and the development of multi-modal terminals in Buxar, Patna, Saran, Bhagalpur, Mokama, Munger, and Katihar. The scheduling of water release from Farakka was also urged to be aligned with ensuring navigable water in Bihar.