After water crisis with Pakistan, Bangladesh plans Padma barrage

Negotiations between India and Bangladesh over the renewal of the Farakka Water Treaty have shown little progress as the landmark agreement approaches its 2026 expiry. While talks remain sluggish amid strained bilateral ties, New Delhi is closely monitoring a fresh development: Bangladesh’s renewed move to build a major barrage further downstream on the Padma River.

The Padma, the name given to the Ganga after it enters Bangladesh, is central to water-sharing arrangements between the two countries. The proposed Padma Barrage project, estimated to cost over 50,000 crore taka, has long remained on hold but is now being actively pursued by Bangladesh’s Water Development Board.

Treaty Tensions and Political Undercurrents

Signed in 1996 for a 30-year term, the Farakka Water Treaty governs the sharing of Ganges water during the dry season from January to May. As the renewal deadline nears, negotiations have slowed amid competing priorities. Bangladesh has been pressing for assured dry-season flows, while India is seeking revisions that reflect changing climatic conditions, domestic water needs and concerns raised by West Bengal.

Political rhetoric has further sharpened the debate. At a recent rally in Sylhet, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman highlighted unresolved water challenges, accusing past governments of compromising national interests. He pledged renewed canal construction and water management initiatives if his party returns to power, stressing Bangladesh’s right to determine its own water policy.

Floods, Fact-Checks and Friction

Water sharing disputes resurfaced sharply during Bangladesh’s severe monsoon floods in 2024, when sections of the Bangladeshi media blamed water releases from India’s Farakka Barrage. India rejected the claims, stressing that Farakka is a diversion structure, not a dam, and that excess inflows automatically pass downstream once water levels reach capacity.

Indian officials accused misinformation campaigns of fueling misunderstanding, reiterating that only a fixed portion of water is diverted into the Farakka canal while the remainder continues into Bangladesh.

Padma Barrage and Strategic Implications

Bangladesh argues that declining water availability in its southwest since the commissioning of Farakka makes the Padma Barrage essential. Planned near Pangsha in Kushtia district, about 180 km downstream of Farakka, the project is intended to store monsoon flows and ensure year-round water supply across large parts of the country.

Officials say the barrage could rejuvenate multiple river systems, support irrigation and improve water security for nearly a third of Bangladesh’s population. The interim government under Muhammad Yunus has opted to fund the project domestically for now, though foreign financing remains a future option.

India is also watching Bangladesh’s expanding water cooperation with China, including work on the Teesta Master Plan and recent Chinese diplomatic visits near the sensitive Siliguri corridor. Meanwhile, the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement remains unresolved, largely due to opposition from West Bengal, which fears water shortages in its northern districts.

As the Farakka Treaty renewal approaches, water diplomacy between India and Bangladesh appears set to become increasingly complex.