The Teesta River, once a lifeline for northern Bangladesh and now a symbol of uncertainty, is back at the centre of national policy discussion following the government’s approval of the first phase of the Padma Barrage project.
As attention turns northward, the proposed Teesta Mega Plan is being positioned as the next major intervention in the country’s river management agenda.
For nearly two crore people living across Rangpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha, the Teesta is not just a river—it is a recurring cycle of erosion, drought and flood. In the dry season, vast stretches of the riverbed turn into dust-filled chars, crippling agriculture and forcing farmers to depend on costly irrigation alternatives. In the monsoon, sudden upstream surges trigger severe flooding and riverbank erosion, displacing thousands annually.
The result is a fragile existence shaped by extremes. Following the approval of the first phase of the Padma Barrage project—worth over Tk33,000 crore—the government has increasingly shifted focus to the Teesta basin. Officials describe the Teesta initiative as a multi-dimensional river management plan that could integrate flood control, irrigation expansion, land reclamation, infrastructure development and potentially hydropower generation.
Planning Commission officials say the model under consideration is similar in scale and ambition to the Padma Barrage, aiming to transform not only water management but also the regional economy of northern Bangladesh.
“We are working on a strategic framework. The Teesta mega plan will be implemented in phases,” said a senior official from the Ministry of Planning, adding that the initiative is already part of broader development planning discussions.
According to Water Resources Ministry sources, one feasibility study has already been completed while another remains ongoing. A Chinese technical team is reportedly involved in the second phase of the study, expected to be completed by December 2026.
Ministry officials say the final project design, cost structure and implementation timeline will be determined after the completion of these assessments. However, uncertainty remains over financing models and cross-border coordination.
Asking about this an official from the Economic Relations Division noted that earlier proposals for Chinese financing were submitted but have not been updated under the current government, indicating that negotiations may be revisited once the studies are finalised.
Hydrological data cited by experts highlights the severity of Teesta’s seasonal imbalance. During the dry season, flow levels in some areas drop to 200–300 cubic metres per second, far below irrigation demand. In contrast, monsoon surges frequently exceed safe thresholds, contributing to large-scale flooding and erosion.
Upstream water regulation, particularly following the construction of the Gajoldoba barrage in India’s West Bengal in 1983, is widely cited by Bangladeshi stakeholders as a key factor influencing reduced dry-season flow.
The imbalance has had long-term consequences for agriculture, groundwater dependence and rural livelihoods across northern districts.
For communities living along the riverbanks, erosion is not an environmental issue alone—it is an existential threat.
“Every year we lose land. We rebuild, and the river takes it again,” said a resident of Kurigram char area.
Farmers report increasing uncertainty in crop cycles due to unpredictable water availability, while fishing communities describe declining catches in dry months and destructive currents during floods.
Preliminary discussions suggest the Teesta Mega Plan may involve:
- River dredging and channel restoration
- Embankment and flood protection infrastructure
- Expanded irrigation networks
- Water storage systems for dry-season supply
- Economic zones along the river corridor
- Eco-tourism development initiatives
- Improved transport connectivity across riverbanks
Officials also suggest the possibility of integrating hydropower components, although technical feasibility remains under review.
Experts caution that large-scale infrastructure alone may not resolve Teesta’s structural problems.
Water resources specialist Dr Anika from BUET argues that the issue must be treated as a basin-wide management challenge rather than a bilateral dispute or engineering problem alone.
Without ensuring scientifically balanced flow management, she warns, mega infrastructure risks under performance.
Eventually earlier, development economist Dr Nazrul Islam also stresses that the project must be viewed as a regional transformation strategy rather than a standalone construction effort, linking agriculture, employment and rural development.
Engineering experts from North South University Professor Dr Md Sirajul Islam similarly highlighted the need to consider sediment flow, climate variability and long-term maintenance costs in project design.
The Teesta issue also remains tied to broader geopolitical and water-sharing dynamics between Bangladesh and India. Any long-term solution, analysts say, will require both domestic infrastructure preparedness and diplomatic engagement.
Officials acknowledge that while technical planning is advancing, broader agreements and financial frameworks remain unresolved.
Despite decades of discussion, the people living along the Teesta continue to wait for a lasting solution.
For them, the river remains both a source of survival and instability. For policymakers, it represents one of the most complex water governance challenges in the country.
As planning accelerates in Dhaka, the central question remains unchanged in the riverbanks of northern Bangladesh: will the Teesta Mega Plan finally translate into tangible change, or will it remain another promise shaped by time and politics?
