The Teesta river runs 315 km through parts of India and Bangladesh; a lifeline for millions of people that remains at the heart of a long-standing dispute between the two countries.
Bangladeshis accuse India of crippling their economy and their way of life by using a dam to halt the water from flowing downstream.
But Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina has pledged to make progress and sign a deal before the end of her term in 2014.
Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque reports from Nilphamari, northern Bangladesh.