The proposed Padma Barrage project could increase Bangladesh's GDP growth by an estimated 0.5 to 1 percentage point once completed, Prime Minister's Adviser on Finance and Planning Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said on Monday, describing it as a long-awaited solution to the country's persistent water management challenges.
Speaking at a roundtable titled "Padma Barrage: Prospects and Challenges" at the National Press Club in Dhaka, Titumir said Bangladesh's fundamental water challenge is one of extremes—having either too much water or too little.
He said the 1977 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was the country's only major breakthrough on transboundary water management, while successive plans to address the issue had largely remained unimplemented.
Titumir added that the barrage's design had been revised under the prime minister's direction to better reflect public aspirations.
The roundtable, organized by the Institute for Global Co-operation Foundation (IGCF), brought together policymakers, economists, engineers, academics, development experts, and media representatives to discuss the project's economic, environmental, and social implications.
Participants described the Padma Barrage as a strategic national project that could strengthen water security, boost agricultural production, improve food security, enhance climate resilience, and reduce salinity intrusion in the country's southwestern region.
Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Environment, Forest and Climate Change Affairs Dr Saimum Parvez said the Padma Barrage had been included as a mega project in the government's election manifesto and would be implemented swiftly under a "Bangladesh First" approach.
He said the government would not accept interference from any other country in implementing the project and remained committed to addressing water-related challenges facing the country.
Foundation for Strategic and Development Studies (FSDS) Chairman Major General (retd) Fazle Elahi Akbar warned that China's upstream hydropower project on the Brahmaputra—expected to generate 65,000MW upon completion by 2030—could have significant implications for regional water security and geopolitics.
He also emphasized the need to ensure cost efficiency in implementing the Tk34,497 crore Padma Barrage project.
Moderating the discussion, North South University Professor Dr Bulbul Siddique said proposals for the Padma Barrage date back to the 1960s and affect four divisions, 19 districts, and nearly 70 million people.
He said Bangladesh continues to face severe dry-season water shortages despite water flowing through the Padma, as much of it fails to reach distributary rivers due to inadequate storage and aging infrastructure.
IGCF Chairman Mahmudur Rahman Shawon said the discussion aimed to examine not only the project's potential benefits but also its technical, environmental, economic, social, and diplomatic challenges.
He noted that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the first phase of the self-financed Tk34,497 crore project on May 13.
Participants called for scientific, evidence-based planning to maximize the project's benefits, stressing the importance of restoring river flows, conserving dry-season water, increasing agricultural productivity, controlling salinity, and strengthening long-term climate resilience.
