Sharing benefits, sustaining peace: resolving the Teesta River dispute for bilateral accord

The Teesta River dispute remains unresolved as allocation centric negotiations focused on dry season flows have stalled amid hydrological variability, domestic political constraints and limited data sharing. Drawing on experiences from the Columbia, Senegal (the Senegal River Basin Organization (OMVS)) and Orange–Senqu basins, this study argues that a benefit sharing approach provides a more resilient and politically feasible pathway for cooperation. It proposes an operational model featuring hydropower water exchanges, adaptive rule curves, joint flood forecasting, harmonized data systems, compensation mechanisms and a Joint Teesta Basin Authority, demonstrating how benefit sharing can align incentives, strengthen ecological resilience and advance long term bilateral stability.