Padma Barrage

About Padma Barrage

• Location: Padma Barrage is a major river engineering project proposed on the Padma River(the Bangladesh stretch of the Ganga) in Bangladesh.
• Objective: The project aims to control the Padma River, reduce seasonal water scarcity, and address salinity intrusion caused by reduced dry-season flows.
• Timeline: The project is expected to take around a decade to complete, with Phase-1 planned from 2026 to 2033.
• Key Features:
  • Length: The main barrage will be approximately 2.1 km long and will include spillways, undersluices, navigation locks, fish passages, and embankments
  • Hydropower Generation: The barrage will have an embedded hydropower plant with a generation capacity of 113 MW.
  • Coverage and Impact: The project is projected to influence nearly 37% of Bangladesh’s land area.

India-Bangladesh Dimension:

• • Link with Farakka Barrage: The project is closely linked to concerns over reduced dry-season flows in Bangladesh, which are often attributed to the operation of the Farakka Barrage. Consequently, the Padma Barrage has important implications for transboundary water management between India and Bangladesh.
  • Water Sharing Treaty: The 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to expire in December 2026.

About Farakka Barrage

• Location: It is located on the Ganga River in the Murshidabad and Malda districts of West Bengal.
• Purpose: It was constructed to divert water into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River system and maintain the navigability of Kolkata Port.
• Feeder Canal: It has a feeder canal with a designed flow capacity of 40,000 cusecs.