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How did the Farakka Barrage create a water-sharing dispute between India and Bangladesh?

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Physical map showing the Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage networks across northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet (China), and Myanmar. The map uses color shading to indicate elevation, from the high Himalayas in brown and white to lowland plains in green, and marks major rivers, tributaries, glaciers, dams, irrigated areas, and regions subject to flooding. An inset locator map highlights the region within South Asia. — Ganges River The Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage network.

The Farakka Barrage, located in West Bengal, India, became a source of significant tension between India and Bangladesh following its operation in 1976.1

The dispute arose from conflicting national interests regarding the Ganges River flow:

India’s Perspective: The Indian government constructed the barrage to divert water southward into the Hooghly River. The goal was to flush out silt and saline seawater, thereby improving navigation and conditions at the port of Kolkata, which had suffered from hydrological changes over the previous century.1
Bangladesh’s Perspective: The Bangladeshi government argued that the diversion of water significantly reduced the flow downstream, depriving southwestern Bangladesh of a vital water source necessary for its environment and economy.1

This disagreement over dry-season water allocation persisted for two decades until it was formally addressed in 1996. That year, both nations signed the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, which established a framework for apportioning the river's waters and remains in force today.12