The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the lmuch-discussed and long waited ‘Padma Barrage’ project at an estimated cost of nearly Tk 35,000 crore during its 11th meeting of the current fiscal year and the third under the BNP government.
The approval came at an ECNEC meeting held on Wednesday (May 13) at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chaied the meeting.
The proposal to construct a barrage on the Padma River has been under discussion since the 1960s when policymakers and water experts first raised concerns over preserving water flow in the region’s rivers. Their concern was specially water security.
Over the decades, reduced flow in the Ganges-Padma network caused many rivers in Kushtia, Rajbari, Faridpur, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Barishal to lose navigability and ecological balance. The situation worsened significantly after the launch of India’s Farakka Barrage in 1975, which reduced downstream water flow during the dry season.
Major rivers including the Gorai, Madhumati, Baral, Ichamati, Chandana, and Mathabhanga were badly affected. As riverbeds became clogged with silt, agriculture and fisheries suffered, while biodiversity declined. Experts say controlled storage and release of Padma water remains one of the most viable solutions to the region’s chronic water shortages.
Though widely discussed for decades, the Padma Barrage project failed to materialize under previous governments despite numerous feasibility studies. The present government revived the project after making an election pledge and it is now awaiting final approval from ECNEC. Officials of Planning Commission say the project is no longer viewed simply as an infrastructure initiative. Rather, it is considered a national project directly connected to water security, food production, environmental protection, and regional economic stability.
Speaking at a briefing after the meeting, minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie said the project would initially be implemented over a five-year period with full government funding. He added that nearly 70 million people across 24 districts are expected to benefit directly from the project once completed.