Tk 34,497cr Padma Barrage gets go-ahead
The government has approved a landmark water infrastructure project – the Padma Barrage (1st Phase) – at an estimated cost of Tk 34,497.25 crore, a mega initiative aimed at reversing decades of ecological and agricultural decline in Bangladesh’s southwest and northwest regions caused by reduced water flow in the Padma River.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) cleared the project at its meeting on Wednesday at the Cabinet Division Conference Room in the Bangladesh Secretariat, presided over by ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Water Resources Minister Md. Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee described the project as one of profound national importance.
“Since this project has huge public importance and was framed considering the interests of people, it was approved by the ECNEC,” he said, adding that it would benefit roughly one-third of the country’s population – nearly 7 crore people – and cover approximately 37 percent of Bangladesh’s territory.
The project will be implemented by the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) under the Ministry of Water Resources, entirely financed through government funds, with a implementation timeline set from July 2026 to June 2033.
The Farakka Factor
The roots of the crisis the barrage seeks to address stretch back half a century. India’s construction of the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal in the 1970s diverted 35,000 to 40,000 cusecs of water from the Padma-Ganges system during the dry season toward the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River to serve the Kolkata Port. The consequences for Bangladesh have been severe and lasting.
Dry-season flows in the Padma have declined sharply, causing major tributaries in the southwest and northwest – including the Hisna-Mathabhanga, Gorai-Madhumati, Chandana-Barashia, Baral and Ichamati river systems – to dry up. Agriculture, fisheries, forestry, navigation, domestic water supply and biodiversity across these regions have all suffered as a result. Worsening the situation, reduced freshwater flow has progressively pushed salinity deeper into rivers and canals in the south during dry months, threatening livelihoods and the fragile Sundarbans ecosystem.
What the Project Entails
At the heart of the project is a 2.1-kilometre main barrage across the Padma, supported by 78 spillways, 18 undersluices, 2 fish passes, navigation locks, guide embankments and approach embankments. Complementing the barrage will be offtake structures on the Gorai, Chandana and Hisna rivers, dredging of 135.60 kilometres of the Gorai-Madhumati River system, re-excavation of 246.46 kilometres of drainage channels in the Hisna basin, and construction of 180 kilometres of afflux embankments.
The project will span 19 districts across Khulna, Dhaka, Rajshahi and Barishal divisions. Two hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 113 megawatts are also planned under the initiative.
Broad Economic and Environmental Impact
The Planning Commission projects the barrage will contribute 0.45 percent to the country’s GDP, generating a direct annual return of Tk 8,000 crore. Irrigation water facilities are expected to be secured for around 28.80 lakh hectares of net farmland in greater Kushtia, Faridpur, Jashore, Khulna, Barishal, Pabna and Rajshahi regions. The project will also retain 2,900 million cubic metres of water in the Padma River.
Beyond agriculture, the initiative is expected to reduce waterlogging in areas including Bhobodah in Jashore, recharge groundwater, reduce arsenic contamination, strengthen the ongoing Ganges-Kobadak (G-K) Irrigation Project and support the proposed North Rajshahi Irrigation Project. Officials say it will also generate employment and facilitate planned urbanisation.
The Planning Commission noted that the project aligns with the government’s Election Manifesto-2026, which includes commitments to implement the Padma Barrage, curb river erosion, reduce agricultural salinity, restore natural waterways through dredging, and improve irrigation efficiency across the country.
