Interim leaves Padma barrage decision for next govt over cost concerns
The interim government has decided not to place the Padma Barrage project before Sunday’s, January 25, meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), citing concerns over the high cost of the proposed project.
Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud told reporters after the meeting that the government did not want to rush approval of such a large and expensive initiative.
He said there may be no further Ecnec meetings during the tenure of the interim administration and that the next elected government would review the project and take a decision after proper scrutiny.
The project had been expected to be tabled at Sunday’s Ecnec meeting, chaired by the chief adviser at the NEC conference room in Dhaka. In recent weeks, the Planning Commission under the interim government had stepped up efforts to bring the proposal to Ecnec. At a Project Evaluation Committee meeting on January 15, the project received initial clearance and was recommended for final approval.
“This is a good project, but it is extremely expensive,” Wahiduddin said. “The total cost would exceed Tk 50,000 crore, with Tk 34,500 crore required in the first phase alone.”
He stressed that a thorough cost-benefit analysis and detailed verification were essential before taking up a project of this magnitude, particularly in terms of financing sources, future budget allocations and consistency with the three-year Medium-Term Budgetary Framework.
Several issues would need to be examined before proceeding, he said, including the need to establish a dedicated authority and to assess technical aspects based on water availability in the Padma River.
“For any major project, technical, political, geopolitical and economic considerations must all be taken into account,” the adviser said.
Recalling the construction of the Jamuna Bridge, Wahiduddin noted that the then finance minister Saifur Rahman had introduced a surcharge to finance the project, underscoring that funding remains a key concern from an economic perspective.
About the Padma Barrage project
After more than six decades of studies and debate, the interim government moved towards implementing the Padma Barrage project, with officials estimating the total cost at Tk 50,444 crore.
The first phase, with an estimated cost of Tk 34,608 crore, was planned for implementation between March 2026 and June 2033.
Feasibility studies identified Pangsha in Rajbari district as the most suitable site for the proposed 2.1-kilometre-long barrage. The project aims to address reduced dry-season flows in the Padma, largely attributed to India’s Farakka Barrage upstream on the Ganges.
Bangladesh has been considering a barrage on the Padma since the 1960s. The first study was conducted in 1961, followed by four pre-feasibility studies between 1960 and 2000. In 2002, the Water Resources Planning Organisation (WARPO) recommended Thakurbari in Kushtia or Pangsha in Rajbari as potential sites.
Detailed feasibility studies and engineering designs were completed between 2009 and 2016.