Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has informed Parliament that technical and financial aspects are being examined at various levels for the construction of another barrage on the Teesta River to conserve water during the dry season.
The information was provided on Wednesday during the question-and-answer session of the second and first budget sessions of the 13th National Parliament. The prime minister was not present in the House, and responses to the scheduled questions were tabled.
In a question, Akhtar Hossain, MP from Rangpur-4, asked whether the Prime Minister’s Office had any plans to adopt a special integrated master plan for implementing major public-interest projects in the historically underdeveloped Rangpur-4 constituency (Pirgachha and Kaunia), which is surrounded by the Teesta River and has long faced geographical disadvantages.
The proposed projects include improving living standards, constructing permanent embankments to prevent river erosion, and establishing a second bridge or a planned transport network across the Teesta River.
In response, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the Teesta River is crucial to the livelihoods of people in northern Bangladesh. Due to various constraints, including upstream dams, the river's water flow decreases significantly during the dry season, disrupting agricultural activities, including the Teesta Irrigation Project. Conversely, excessive rainfall upstream during the monsoon season often triggers sudden floods and riverbank erosion.
The prime minister said that riverbank protection works covering 42.5 kilometres are currently underway in five Teesta basin districts—Rangpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Gaibandha, and Lalmonirhat—at a cost of Tk230 crore during the previous and current fiscal years. The projects are scheduled for completion this month.
He added that, within Rangpur-4, riverbank protection work covering 4.6 kilometres of the Teesta River is being implemented at a cost of nearly Tk24 crore and is also expected to be completed this month. The project is expected to significantly reduce river erosion in the area.
Tarique Rahman further said that a survey has already been completed to facilitate the implementation of a sustainable and integrated development plan centred on the Teesta River.
According to the survey report, the proposed Teesta Master Plan includes 110 kilometres of riverbank protection and river training works, dredging of 110 kilometres of the river, construction of 224 kilometres of flood-control embankments and roads on top of those embankments, construction and repair of 67 groynes or spurs, and the reclamation and development of 170 square kilometres of land.
The prime minister also noted that technical and financial evaluations are currently being conducted at various stages to facilitate the construction of an additional barrage on the Teesta River for water conservation during the dry season.