Padma Barrage (First Phase) Construction Project

planned

The Padma Barrage project involves constructing a 2.1-kilometre main dam on the Padma River in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari to address water shortages affecting nearly 37% of the country's land dependent on the Padma River. The project includes 78 spillways, 18 undersluices, two fish passes, and three offtake infrastructures to distribute stored water. It will also establish a 113-megawatt hydropower plant. The barrage aims to revitalize five rivers in the southwestern region, reduce salinity from the Sundarbans, maintain biodiversity, and increase agricultural and fish production. The project is expected to supply irrigation water to around 2.9 million hectares of cultivable land and increase rice and fish production significantly.