Bangladesh is moving forward with plans to build a new barrage on the Padma River at a time when talks with India over the Farakka Water Treaty have shown little progress. The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is preparing to implement the long-delayed Padma Barrage project, which is estimated to cost 50,443.64 crore Taka. The Padma River is the continuation of the Ganga after it flows from India into Bangladesh. 

The Farakka Water Treaty, signed in 1996 between India and Bangladesh, is due for renewal in 2026. However, negotiations have been slow due to diplomatic tensions and worsening ties between the two countries. Bangladesh is seeking guaranteed water flow during the dry season, while India wants to revise the agreement according to its own needs. These discussions are also affected by regional politics, climate change, and demands from West Bengal, which wants to ensure its own water requirements are not affected. 

India and Bangladesh have long disagreed over the details of the Farakka Agreement. In this context, Bangladesh’s renewed push to build the Padma Barrage is being seen as an effort to take independent action. The project is expected to be built in Pangsha in Kushtia district, about 180 kilometres downstream from the Farakka Barrage. 

At a campaign rally in Sylhet, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman spoke about the country’s unresolved water problems. He said, “We have seen during the times of President Ziaur Rahman how canals were constructed across Bangladesh. By constructing those canals, apart from providing irrigation services to farmers, people's water problems were resolved.” 

He further added, “If the BNP is elected by the vote on February 12 by the wishes of Allah we will start a programme of canal construction again. We will construct canals and ensure there is water in our rivers. Why? You remember a few years ago, how water was released from the other side and entire Sylhet was flooded with floodwater. That's why we have said one thing. In the last 15-16 years we have seen how this country interests were mortgaged. That's why I have said, Not Dilli, Not Pindi, No Other Country, Bangladesh Comes First.” 

For the incoming government in Bangladesh, one of the key issues in talks with India will be the renewal of the Farakka Water Treaty, which was signed for 30 years in 1996. Both countries have repeatedly disagreed over the release and control of water through the Farakka Barrage. 

In 2024, Bangladesh experienced severe floods caused by heavy monsoon rains and overflowing rivers, affecting 11 districts. Some reports in Bangladesh claimed that the floods were partly caused by the opening of the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal. This led to a fact-check by the Government of India. 

India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen fake videos, rumours and fear-mongering to create misunderstanding. This should be firmly countered with facts.” 

India also explained the nature of the Farakka Barrage, stating, “It is to be understood that Farakka is only a barrage and not a dam. Whenever the water level reaches the pond level, whatever inflow comes passes. It is merely a structure to divert 40,000 cusecs of water into the Farakka canal that is carefully done using a system of gates on the main Ganga/Padma River, while the balance of the water flows into the main river to Bangladesh.” 

Bangladesh argues that the need for the Padma Barrage has increased because the water flow in the Padma River has been disrupted due to India’s Farakka Barrage upstream. According to documents shared by the BWDB, water flow in the southwest region of Bangladesh has dropped sharply since the Farakka Barrage started operating. 

Under the 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, India and Bangladesh share the river’s flow at Farakka from 1 January to 31 May every year. This arrangement was agreed upon by both countries, but now the treaty must be renegotiated in an environment of strained bilateral relations. 

The dispute over Farakka is not new. Bangladesh had opposed India’s proposals earlier, and in 1977, the then President of Bangladesh, Ziaur-Rehman, raised the issue at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The UN advised both countries to resolve the matter through bilateral talks. Later, in November 1977, India’s then Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram visited Bangladesh and signed an agreement to address the Farakka issue. Eventually, in 1996, the Ganga Water Treaty was signed to ensure the sharing of surface water at the Farakka Barrage near the India-Bangladesh border. 

Bangladesh says the Padma Barrage will help store water during the monsoon season and ensure a year-round water supply to the southwest and northwest regions of the country. The government also states that areas dependent on the Padma River, which cover nearly 37 percent of Bangladesh, will benefit from the project. According to Bangladesh, the barrage will help in the optimal use of water under the 1996 treaty with India. 

The country believes that the project could provide water to seven to eight rivers and help restore degraded water systems during the dry season. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has decided to move forward with the project using domestic financing initially, while the possibility of foreign loans, including from China, will be considered later. 

China is also involved in Bangladesh’s Teesta Master Plan. The recent visit of Chinese envoy Yao Wen to northern Bangladesh, near the strategic Siliguri corridor in West Bengal, has drawn India’s attention. Wen visited the project area in Rangpur, close to the Indian border, along with Bangladesh’s water resources advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan from the Yunus-led interim government. 

India and Bangladesh have also failed to finalise the long-pending agreement on sharing the waters of the Teesta River, which flows from Sikkim through West Bengal into Bangladesh. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has opposed the agreement, arguing that sharing Teesta water would mean “depriving northern West Bengal of even drinking water,” not just irrigation facilities. 

As the Farakka Treaty approaches its renewal deadline, the Padma Barrage project has become a significant development in India-Bangladesh relations, highlighting ongoing disagreements over water sharing and regional cooperation.