Staff Reporter

The government has approved the ambitious “Padma Barrage (1st Phase)” project involving an estimated cost of Tk 34,497.25 crore, aiming to restore major river systems, reduce salinity intrusion, strengthen irrigation facilities and improve ecological sustainability across vast regions of Bangladesh.

The mega project received approval at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held at the Cabinet Division Conference Room at the Bangladesh Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Recommended earlier by the Planning Commission, the project has been undertaken by the Ministry of Water Resources and will be implemented by the Bangladesh Water Development Board. Officials said the entire project cost will be financed through government funding under a GoB grant. The implementation timeline has been fixed from July 2026 to June 2033.

Speaking to reporters after the ECNEC meeting, Water Resources Minister Md. Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee described the Padma Barrage project as a landmark initiative with long-term national importance.

He said nearly one-third of the country’s geographical area and around seven crore people would directly or indirectly benefit from the project. According to the minister, the government approved the initiative considering its broad public significance and its expected impact on livelihoods, agriculture and environmental sustainability.

According to Planning Commission officials, the project will cover 19 districts under the divisions of Khulna, Dhaka, Rajshahi and Barishal.

The project has been designed to revive the flow and navigability of several important river systems that have experienced severe degradation over the decades. These include the Hisna-Mathabhanga, Gorai-Madhumati, Chandana-Barashia, Baral and Ichamati rivers.

Officials said reduced freshwater flow in recent decades has caused major environmental and economic challenges in southwestern and northwestern Bangladesh. The new barrage project aims to address those issues through a comprehensive water management framework.

One of the major objectives of the initiative is to reduce salinity intrusion in the southwestern districts of Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat. The project is also expected to ensure a sustainable freshwater supply to the Sundarbans ecosystem, which has increasingly come under threat from rising salinity levels and declining river flow.

In addition, the initiative seeks to improve biodiversity conservation, reduce waterlogging in areas such as Bhobodah in Jashore, enhance drainage systems, recharge groundwater reserves and help reduce arsenic contamination in groundwater-dependent areas.

The Planning Commission noted that the project would also significantly expand irrigation facilities in southwestern, mid-western and northwestern regions through support for the ongoing Ganges-Kobadak Irrigation Project and the proposed North Rajshahi Irrigation Project.

Officials believe the scheme will not only improve agricultural productivity but also create employment opportunities and facilitate planned land development and urbanization in several regions.

The Planning Commission said the Padma Barrage initiative aligns with the government’s Election Manifesto-2026 commitments, particularly those related to water resource conservation, river dredging, flood protection, reduction of salinity in agricultural lands and improvement of irrigation efficiency.

Under the project, a 2.1-kilometre-long main Padma Barrage will be constructed along with extensive associated infrastructure. The planned infrastructure includes 78 spillways, 18 undersluices, two fish passes, navigation locks, guide embankments and approach embankments.

The project will also involve construction of Gorai, Chandana and Hisna offtake structures, dredging of 135.60 kilometres of the Gorai-Madhumati river system and re-excavation of 246.46 kilometres of drainage channels in the Hisna river system.

Besides, around 180 kilometres of afflux embankments will be constructed under the project to strengthen flood and water management systems.

Another significant component of the project is the construction of two hydropower plants with a combined electricity generation capacity of 113 megawatts, which officials say will contribute to the country’s renewable and sustainable energy production.

Government estimates suggest that once implemented, the project could contribute approximately 0.45 percent to the national GDP while generating an expected annual direct return of around Tk 8,000 crore.

The authorities also expect the barrage to ensure irrigation water supply for nearly 28.80 lakh hectares of net farmland in the greater Kushtia, Faridpur, Jashore, Khulna, Barishal, Pabna and Rajshahi regions. Furthermore, the barrage is expected to help retain about 2,900 million cubic meters of water in the Padma River system.

According to the project background paper, the Padma-dependent southwestern and northwestern regions account for nearly 37 percent of Bangladesh’s territory and are home to around one-third of the country’s population.

The document also highlighted the historical context behind the country’s growing water management concerns. It noted that Farakka Barrage was constructed in India during the 1970s to divert 35,000 to 40,000 cusecs of water from the Padma/Ganges during the dry season into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system to improve navigability at Kolkata Port.

Bangladesh authorities argue that upstream water diversion at Farakka significantly reduced dry-season water flow in the Padma River within Bangladesh, leading to the drying up of many river systems in the southwest and northwest regions.

As a result, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, river navigation, domestic water supply and the broader ecological balance in these areas have suffered severe impacts over the years.

The Planning Commission observed that declining freshwater flow has increased salinity in rivers and canals across the southern region during the dry season, posing major threats to biodiversity, local livelihoods and the fragile Sundarbans ecosystem.

Officials stressed that sustainable water resource management remains essential for ensuring balanced economic growth and increasing agricultural, forestry and fisheries productivity in regions including Rajshahi, Pabna, Kushtia, Jashore, Khulna, Faridpur and Barishal, where the Padma River remains the primary source of surface freshwater.

The government now views the Padma Barrage project as one of the country’s most significant long-term infrastructure and environmental initiatives, with expectations that it will reshape water management, agriculture and ecological conservation across a large part of Bangladesh over the coming decades.