Bangladesh approved on Wednesday a mega river project worth $2.8 billion that authorities hope would help the country address its persistent water crisis, often blamed on neighbouring India.
The project highlights Dhaka’s efforts to secure water supplies for its agriculture-dependent economy, with river sharing a source of friction with New Delhi for decades.
The scheme, which centres on building a 2.1-kilometre (1.3-mile) barrage on Bangladesh’s Padma river, is designed to store up to 2.9 billion cubic metres of water.
“At least 70 million people across one-third of the country will benefit from this project,” water resources minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee told reporters after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
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He said the project would help dry-season shortages in areas affected by reduced flows linked to India’s Farakka Barrage.
Built in 1970, the Farakka Barrage diverts a large volume of water during the dry season from the Ganges, known as the Padma when it flows into Bangladesh.
India has long defended the Farakka Barrage, arguing that Dhaka had not made efficient use of its own water resources.
Bangladesh officials say the new project will increase flows in as many as five rivers in the country’s south-western region, reducing salinity and in turn boosting agriculture and fish production.
The South Asian country of 170 million people also expects the scheme to irrigate 2.9 million hectares of land.
A 113-megawatt hydroelectric power plant is planned as part of the project, officials added.
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