The initiative, formally called the ‘Comprehensive Management and Restoration of the Teesta River Project’, aims to restore river flows and boost regional development.
Presenting the budget in Parliament, the minister said the plan aims to improve livelihoods and living standards in the northern region of Bangladesh, addressing the adverse effects of upstream dam obstruction on the Teesta and Padma rivers, which have affected agriculture, irrigation, fisheries, and biodiversity within the river basins.
He also detailed the approval of the ‘Padma Barrage (Phase-I)’ project by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), set for implementation from July 2026 to June 2033.
The project will construct a 2.1-kilometre main barrage and a hydropower plant on the Padma River at Pangsha in Rajbari, designed to restore freshwater flows during the dry season, enhance agricultural production, maintain navigability, and preserve ecological balance.
The project will enable annual storage of 2,900 million cubic metres of water, prevent salinity intrusion in the Padma basin including the Sundarbans, restore navigability in five distributaries and tributaries, irrigate 2.88 million hectares of land, and increase annual production by 20.39 million tonnes of rice and 2.34 million tonnes of fish.
The minister added that the Teesta and Padma projects are expected to directly and indirectly benefit residents in 120 upazilas across 19 districts in four divisions, representing approximately 37 per cent of the country’s population.
