ForumIAS LATEST
- 15 Sept. | Current Affairs Pre-cum-Mains 2027 Morning 11 AM batch starts from 15th Sept. Click Here to Read More →
- 14 Sept. | Forum Residential Coaching (FRC) for UPSC preparation Click Here to know more →
- 14 Sept. | GS Advance Program (GSAP) for UPSC 2027 Mains starts from 14th Sept. Click Here to Read More →
News: Bangladesh recently approved the construction of the Padma Barrage before the 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty expires in December 2026.
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.
