Bangladesh National Awami Party Secretary General M Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan. File Photo

DHAKA, May 16, 2026 (BSS)- Bangladesh National Awami Party Secretary General M Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan has said Farakka Barrage has become a curse not only for Bangladesh but also for India.

“Bangladesh has been bearing the curse of Farakka for the last 50 years. During the dry season, Bangladesh is deprived of its fair share of water. At the same time, India is also suffering due to the Farakka Barrage and public opinion against the dam is becoming stronger there as well,” he said.

He made the remark while addressing a human chain programme organised by Voice of Conscience Citizen-Rangpur in front of the National Press Club marking the 50th anniversary of the historic Farakka Long March Day today.

Bangladesh NAP Secretary General said the Indian government decided to construct the Farakka Barrage in 1961 to maintain navigability at Kolkata Port and ensure smooth navigation in the Bhagirathi and Ganges rivers.

However, after the barrage became operational, river erosion in the Malda and Murshidabad areas increased at a geometric rate, he added.

Bhuiyan said river erosion took a devastating turn in the 1990s and several unions in India disappeared into the river between 1990 and 2001.

He said West Bengal and Bihar are also facing extensive damage due to the Farakka Barrage, with floods and river erosion affecting those areas every year.

Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan said Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani had long ago realised the adverse impacts of Farakka and therefore launched a movement against it in the national interest.

He further said India would never provide Bangladesh with its fair share of water, and Bangladesh must formulate its own water management plans keeping this reality in mind.

“Otherwise, Bangladesh will face a major disaster,” he warned.

Speakers said, if even a national crisis like the Farakka issue cannot awaken the nation, greater disasters await ahead.

The plan to construct the Tipaimukh Dam upstream of the Barak River is now at the final stage of implementation, they said.

Editor of the Daily Swadesh Bichitra Ashok Dhar, organiser Mohiuddin Ahmed, RJF Chairman Zahirul Islam, Convener of the Anti-Fascism Movement Mohammad Olid Siddiq Talukdar and AFM Shariful Alam, among others, also addressed the human chain programme.