The Padma Barrage Project

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Bangladesh has officially signed off on the construction of the Tk 50,443 crore project to build the Padma barrage.
This project aims to combat seasonal water scarcity and assert lower-riparian control over its water resources.

The Padma barrage is a massive, planned transboundary water-management structure designed to act as a large reservoir.
It serves as a defensive infrastructure choice by Bangladesh to regulate downstream flows and increase groundwater recharge.
The structure helps secure water equity against upstream diversions like India's Farakka barrage.
The barrage is being constructed entirely across the main channel of the Padma River.
It is positioned exactly 180 km downstream of India's Farakka barrage in West Bengal, placing it very close to the India-Bangladesh international border.
The structural blueprint dictates a concrete-anchored barrage spanning 2.1 km in length.
It is engineered to hold a massive reservoir pondage capacity of 2,900 million cubic meters of freshwater.
The project is optimized to directly stabilize agricultural irrigation and drinking water supply for 6.5 crore people living across the vulnerable southwestern and northern regions of Bangladesh.
It is projected to cost Tk 50,443 crore with an execution timeline spreading over seven years.

The Padma River is a major, high-volume transboundary river flowing through Bangladesh.
It is the main downstream distributary of the Ganges River after it crosses the international boundary from India into Bangladesh.
The river originates at Devprayag, where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers merge to form the Ganga.
After entering Bangladesh near Shibganj, the Ganga officially takes the name Padma.
The Padma joins the Jamuna at Goalundo and later merges with the Meghna at Chandpur before reaching the Bay of Bengal.
The Padma flows through extremely low-lying deltaic plains, making the region highly vulnerable to flooding and sea-level rise.
Reduced river flow promotes heavy silt deposition, raising the riverbed and increasing flood risks during monsoon seasons.
Sediment carried by the river enriches soils and aquatic ecosystems, supporting fisheries and local livelihoods.
Freshwater from the Padma maintains the salinity balance of the Sundarbans Mangroves, sustaining its unique mangrove biodiversity.