Bangladesh plans Padma Barrage project as talks with India on Farakka pact stalls

Bangladesh is finally set to act on the long-delayed Padma Barrage, a project debated for over 60 years, as the Planning Commission has cleared the way for its implementation with a phased execution plan, according to a report by The Business Standard.

Officials from the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said the proposal was reviewed at a recent Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting chaired by Mustafizur Rahman, Member for Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Institutions. While the overall cost is estimated at Tk50,443.64 crore, the committee has advised starting with a first phase budgeted at Tk34,608 crore.

The revised plan is expected to go before the Executive Committee of the Economic Council (Ecnec) on January 25 for final clearance. A senior BWDB official told TBS that the interim government is planning to begin construction using domestic financing, with foreign loans, including from China, to be explored later.

Construction is projected to run from March 2026 through June 2033, officials said.

After carrying out detailed feasibility studies, BWDB selected Pangsha in Rajbari district as the preferred location for the structure. Engineers believe the site will allow better regulation of the Padma's flow, smoother water diversion and fairer downstream distribution. The Padma is the stretch of the Ganga after the river enters Bangladesh from India.

The urgency for the barrage has increased as water movement in the river has become increasingly irregular, which officials link to India's Farakka Barrage upstream in the Ganga River, the report added.

According to the design blueprint, the proposed barrage will stretch 2.1 km and house 78 spillway gates measuring 18 metres each, along with 18 undersluice gates. It will include a 14-metre navigation lock for vessels, two 20-metre fish passes and a railway bridge of the same length built over the structure.

Once operational, the project is expected to produce about 113 MW of hydropower and secure water supplies for major facilities, including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

Project documents pointed out that river flow in Bangladesh's south-west has dropped sharply since Farakka became operational. Under the 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, India and Bangladesh divide water at Farakka between January 1 and May 31 every year.

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