Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee has said that the Teesta Mega Project will begin soon, with full domestic financing and technical assistance from both local and international experts.
He said planned embankments and dredging will play a key role in protecting people living along the Teesta River from erosion and flooding.
The minister made the remarks on Friday afternoon while speaking to journalists at the Rest House in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat after inspecting the Teesta Barrage, the country’s largest irrigation project.
He said the mega project is estimated to cost between Tk13,000 crore and Tk14,000 crore and will be implemented under a special financing arrangement, with the prime minister personally overseeing its progress.
The minister added that preliminary survey and feasibility work have already been completed.
A nine-member expert engineering team is preparing the project framework, which will be reviewed through a series of meetings and technical seminars before being placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), similar to the Padma Barrage project.
He expressed hope that the formal process will begin within the next one to two months.
Referring to upstream water flow, the minister said the opening of gates at Gajaldoba upstream has increased water pressure, worsening erosion and flooding in the Teesta basin and making life increasingly difficult for riverside communities. He said planned dredging and embankment construction will address the issue.
He further said the Teesta is not only a regional concern but a national issue, adding that the project could take between two to seven years for full implementation but would significantly boost the economy of the northern region and improve livelihoods.
Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said the Teesta Mega Project has long been a demand of people in five northern districts. He said commitments made during earlier movements are now being fulfilled, with steps taken to implement the project under local financing.
Earlier, the minister held a meeting with senior officials of the Water Development Board on technical aspects of the project and visited erosion-affected areas along the Teesta River, where he spoke with local residents.
Among others present were State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad, MPs Hasan Rajib Pradhan and Rokon Uddin Babul, senior government officials, and Water Development Board representatives.
