FROM PAGE 1

will also be built near the barrage at a cost of Tk 743 crore as part of the project.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved the project, setting 2033 as the target year for completion. The project will be implemented by the Bangladesh Water Development Board under the Ministry of Water Resources.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman presided over the meeting held at the Secretariat.

The Padma-dependent region has long suffered from water shortages due to upstream diversions, and the project is expected to help address chronic water shortages in the country’s southwest and northwest regions, where reduced dry-season flow in the Padma has affected agriculture, fisheries, navigation, forestry and biodiversity.

Although the project will cover about 37 percent of Bangladesh’s land area, spanning 26 districts and 163 upazilas across four divisions, under the first phase, 19 districts and 120 upazilas across four divisions -- Khulna, Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Barishal divisions – will be benefitted, according to the project documents.

The first phase would be paid from the government’s own funds.

The barrage will feature 78 spillways, 18 undersluice gates, two fish passes, a navigation lock, guide bunds, and approach embankments.

Spillways regulate excess water flow and prevent flooding by releasing water safely downstream. Undersluice gates control sediment and maintain water levels near the barrage, especially during high discharge.

Fish passes allow migratory fish to move upstream and downstream. Navigation lock enables boats and vessels.

Guide bunds stabilise riverbanks and direct water flow toward the barrage structure. Approach embankments protect adjoining land and infrastructure from erosion and flooding while channelling water toward the barrage.

Hydropower plants will be set up at Padma barrage and Gorai off-take, which is the crucial entry point of the Gorai-Madhumati river. The plants will generate 113 megawatts of electricity.

According to project details, Tk 6,619 crore has been allocated for the construction of the Gorai off-take. Another hydropower plant will be set up at a cost of Tk 418 crore.

Two additional off-takes will be constructed at Chandana and Hisa rivers at a cost of Tk 202 crore.

An off-take is a structure designed to divert water from the upstream side of the barrage into a canal, distributary, or another river channel.

The project also includes Tk 2,878 crore for land acquisition and Tk 1,058 crore for dredging the Gorai and Madhumati rivers.

According to the Development Project Proposal (DPP), the project will be implemented over eight years. Of the total expenditure, Tk 822 crore will be spent in the next fiscal year, followed by Tk 2,120 crore in the subsequent year, Tk 4,067 crore in the third year, Tk 5,341 crore in the fourth year, and Tk 5,759 crore in the fifth year.

Including the Padma barrage project, the Ecnec approved nine new and revised projects involving a total estimated expenditure of Tk 36,696 crore.