Planners of the Ganga Barrage Project claim that it will bring large-scale development to the Ganga-dependent region, namely the south-western part of the country and the southern Ganga-adjacent areas of Rajshahi Division. He says irrigation water will be supplied to about 2.9 million hectares of agricultural land in Kushtia, Faridpur, Jashore, Khulna, Barishal, Pabna and Rajshahi areas, resulting in an increase in rice production by about 2.4 million tonnes. Fish production is also expected to increase by about 250,000 tonnes.
In addition, turbines will be installed at the main dam and Gorai intake structure to generate 76.4 and 36.6 MW of power respectively – a total of 113 MW. Overall, the project is estimated to generate annual “economic benefits” of Tk 7,127 crore. As a result, the project’s internal economic rate of return is estimated at 17.05 percent. In other words, the proposed Ganga Barrage Project is being presented as highly profitable.
Since the 1950s, we have been hearing such tall claims about the success of water development projects. I have written about what actually happened to these projects in two books: Water Development in Bangladesh: Past, Present and Future (2022), an 822-page volume, and Bangladesh Water Upgradation: Bortoman Dharar Songkot Abong Bikolpo Pother Prostab (2023) (Water Development in Bangladesh: The Crisis of the Current Approach and Proposal for an Alternative Path (2023), a 481-page volume. Those Rather than repeat the discussions here, I will focus specifically on the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed Ganga Barrage.