Bangladesh Moves To Offset Farakka's Impact With Landmark Padma River Barrage

Bangladesh has approved the construction of a large barrage on the Padma river, with authorities stating the structure is designed to mitigate the adverse effects caused by India's Farakka Barrage located upstream.

The decision was cleared by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The first phase of the Padma Barrage has been sanctioned at an estimated cost of approximately Tk 34,497 crore, equivalent to around USD 282 million.

Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee confirmed after the ECNEC meeting that a primary objective of the project is to store water on Bangladesh's side of the river in order to reduce the downstream consequences of the Farakka Barrage on the Ganges, known as the Padma within Bangladesh's borders.

The approval is notably timed just months before the 1996 Indo-Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty is set to lapse in December, adding a layer of diplomatic significance to the infrastructure decision.

The minister, however, was careful to draw a distinction, clarifying that the barrage project is not connected to the broader question of the 54 rivers shared between the two neighbouring nations.