When Bangladesh became the first country in South Asia to join the UN’s Water Convention earlier this year, it was presented as a win-win .

Signing up to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes would help Bangladesh safeguard and manage waterways that represent a “lifeline to peace and prosperity”, according to the United Nations. At the same time, it was hoped that the South Asian nation’s addition might encourage better cross-border cooperation in a region where shared rivers are often fought over.

As a scholar who works on issues of water security and grew up in South Asia, I understand the drivers behind Bangladesh’s decision to join the convention – recent hydro-political events have raised water security risks for the

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