SANGSAD BHABAN, June 11, 2026 (BSS) - The government has proposed Taka 10,533 crore for the Ministry of Water Resources in the proposed budget for fiscal 2026-27. 

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury made the proposal while delivering his budget speech in parliament here today.

He said the government is formulating and implementing projects on irrigation, flood management, riverbank protection, land reclamation, waterlogging mitigation, improvement of drainage systems, salinity control and other aspects of sustainable water resources management. 

Special initiatives have been taken to restore and free at least one river in each division from encroachment in order to maintain ecological balance, he said. 

Under a total of seven projects, the finance minister said, measures are being implemented to remove illegal encroachments and restore the natural flow of the Dhaleshwari, Louhajang, Alaikuri, Mogra, Salta, Sutang, Bakkhali and Barnai rivers. 

"A Water Quality Index (WQI) has been developed for the rivers surrounding Dhaka. In addition, a real-time dash board for monitoring ground water levels has been developed using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning technologies, opening up new opportunities for sustainable water resources management," he said.

Khasru said the ministry is implementing a nationwide programme titled "Excavation and Re-excavation of Rivers, Canals, and Water Reservoirs." 

As part of the initiative to excavate 20,000 kilometers of canals, rivers, and drainage channels over the next five years by the all relevant ministries, he said this ministry is planning to excavate and reexcavate 680 kilometers of canals, irrigation canals, and drainage canals in FY 2026-27. 

The finance minister said the obstruction of water flows through upstream dams on the Teesta and the Padma rivers has adversely affected agriculture, irrigation, fisheries and biodiversity within the river basins of these two rivers in Bangladesh. 

In this context, he said, the 'Padma Barrage (Phase-I)' project, aimed at bringing about atransformation in the agricultureand fisheries sectors of the south-western region of the country, was approved at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council(ECNEC).
 
"The project will be implemented between July 2026 and June2033. Under the project, a 2.1-kilometre-long main barrage and a hydropower plant will be constructed on thePadma River at Pangsha in Rajbari."

He said the project will play a significant role in restoring freshwater flows during the dry season through the conservation and regulation of the Padma River water, enhancing agricultural production, maintaining navigability and preserving ecological balance. 

Upon implementation, the minister said, the project will enable the annual storage of 2,900 million cubic metres of water; prevent salinity intrusion in the Padma basin, including the Sundarbans, through the restoration of navigability in five distributaries and tributaries; ensure uninterrupted agricultural production through irrigation of 2.88 million hectares of land; and increase annual production by 20.39 million tonnes of rice and 2.34 million tonnes of fish. 

In addition, Khasru said, the government is undertaking initiatives to implement the 'Comprehensive Management and Restoration of the Teesta River Project', commonly known as the Teesta Master Plan, with a view to improving the livelihoods and quality of life of the people of the northern region of the country.