United News of Bangladesh

With Durga Puja less than two weeks away, idol makers in Dhaka and other parts of the country are working long hours to meet the seasonal rush. But behind the colourful images taking shape in their workshops lies a harsher reality: the price of idols has risen, yet their profits have not kept pace. Higher prices of raw materials, rising wages and other costs are eating into their earnings. Artisans said the growing use of technology is reducing demand for some hand-crafted work, while younger members of their families are reluctant to carry on the traditional profession. Gopalganj’s Ratan Pal, 54, has spent 26 years making idols. He learned the craft in Madaripur and is now working at Ramna Kali Temple in Dhaka with five other artisans. Ratan said an idol that cost Tk 50,000-60,000 to make around a decade ago now costs about Tk 100,000. But that does not mean his earnings have doubled.

In the remote char areas of Lalmonirhat where poverty, river erosion and long distances often make regular schooling difficult for children, a free school-feeding programme is drawing students back to classrooms and helping them stay attentive through the school day. Teachers, students and guardians in the district’s Patgram and Kaliganj upazilas said the programme has made a visible difference in school attendance, children’s interest in learning and their ability to remain in classrooms for longer periods. They are now calling for the pilot initiative to be expanded to primary schools across the country, particularly in disadvantaged and hard-to-reach areas. The programme was introduced in 310 primary schools in the two upazilas on December 28 last year. Under it, children from pre-primary to Class V receive free food during the school break. The menu includes fortified buns, eggs, bananas and 200-millilitre packets of milk. Buns are supplied every school day, while milk and bananas are served on alternate days and boiled eggs are provided on the remaining three days of the week. According to the Lalmonirhat District Primary Education Office, 22,829 children in Patgram and 19,850 in Kaliganj upazila are receiving the meals every day. For children living in the chars, the significance of the programme goes beyond simply providing a snack. Many of them leave home in the morning after having a limited meal and remain at school until the afternoon. In several schools, students have to travel considerable distances, sometimes crossing rivers or using boats, to attend classes. At Votmari Government Primary School in Kaliganj, many students come from char areas across the Teesta. Headteacher Asaduzzaman Dulu said students previously became tired and inattentive after midday because they had little or no food during the long school day. “Most of our students come from the char areas across the Teesta. They used to become weak and inattentive after noon because they had to stay at school for a long time without food,” he said. “Now that they receive nutritious food, their attendance has increased significantly. We are currently seeing attendance of around 95 to 97 percent, and at times we are struggling to accommodate all the students in the classrooms,” he added. Heshne Hasin Kingbodonti and Taslima Yasmin Humaira, students of Modonpur Bairati Government Primary School, said staying at school from morning until afternoon was difficult when they were hungry. “Now we get nutritious food from the government, which gives us the strength to stay in class and concentrate on our lessons. The food is also of good quality,” they said. For parents such as Azizar Rahman and Manjum Ali, the programme is particularly important because they cannot afford to provide money or a separate tiffin for their children every day. “We are poor people. We cannot give our children food or money for tiffin every day. What they eat at home in the morning is often not enough for them to stay at school throughout the day,” they said, urging the authorities to continue the programme nationwide. From attendance to nutrition The impact is also being reflected in attendance figures. Lalmonirhat Assistant District Primary Education Officer Ahsan Habib said attendance in schools in the two upazilas was around 70 percent but has risen to around 90-95 percent after the introduction of school feeding.  

Consumers are growing worried over the latest LPG price hike as shortages persist across the country, with 12-kg cylinders being sold for Tk 2,200 to Tk 2,500 in areas where gas is available, far above the newly announced official price of Tk 1,837. Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Sunday announced a fresh hike in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices at the consumer level, raising the rate of a 12-kilogram cylinder by Tk 252 to Tk 1,837. However, field reports indicate that consumers across the country are already trapped in a chaotic retail market where 12-kg cylinders are selling for between Tk 2,200 and Tk 2,600—up to Tk 1,000 above government-fixed benchmarks—while many retail outlets have run completely out of stock. While state-owned LP Gas Limited (LPGL) maintains a price of Tk 777 for its 12.5-kg cylinder, its negligible market share leaves over 98 percent of the country’s bottled gas consumers entirely dependent on private distributors. High-level meetings and govt crackdown The price hike comes just a day after Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku and Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir held an urgent meeting with LPG importers at Secretariat on Saturday to address the deteriorating market situation. The high-level intervention follows the Energy Minister’s September 30 directive to Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to investigate whether an artificial crisis is being engineered by market syndicates and to take strict legal action against price gougers. Pipeline gas deficit fueling LPG demand Industry insiders and energy experts attribute the unprecedented supply strain to a severe shortfall in national pipeline natural gas. According to Petrobangla, against a nationwide demand of nearly 4,000 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD), current domestic extraction and LNG regasification deliver only around 2,600 MMCFD. The resulting power cuts and pipeline gas shortages have forced thousands of households, commercial eateries, and small industries to shift to bottled LPG, creating a demand surge that existing private distribution networks are struggling to meet. Global shipping & freight surge Compounding local issues, private importers cite mounting international headwinds. For September, Saudi Aramco raised its Contract Price (Saudi CP) to $625 per tonne for propane and $660 per tonne for butane. More critically, global LPG availability has tightened due to Middle East geopolitical conflicts, driving ocean freight rates to record highs. Importers said while BERC calculated retail prices using a freight benchmark of $160 per tonne, actual international shipping costs have surged to $400 per tonne, forcing several private operators to curtail import volumes to prevent heavy financial losses. Blame game over import data The market crisis has also triggered internal friction within the LPG sector. Official reports indicate that LPG imports dropped from nearly 160,000 tonnes in August to around 120,000 tonnes in September. However, a group of LPG operators submitted a formal letter to the Energy Division on October 1 claiming import volumes remained steady. They alleged that certain major importers deliberately delayed offloading and releasing imported LPG cargoes to generate artificial market pressure and inflate prices, demanding an independent inquiry into the bottleneck. With winter approaching—a season that traditionally sees a seasonal uptick in global heating fuel demand—consumers and industry stakeholders warn that without strict market monitoring and streamlined import support, Bangladesh’s LPG market could face even deeper instability in the coming months. Experts denounce BERC's 'regulatory failure' Denouncing the price hike, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Energy Adviser Prof. M. Shamsul Alam termed BERC's decision a "validation of illegal market manipulation."  He said the raising official prices while failing to enforce retail compliance only shields dishonest syndicates without ensuring gas availability for ordinary citizens. Energy expert and former BUET professor Dr. Ijaz Hossain highlighted the policy oversight behind the crisis, emphasising that shifting the nation's energy demand from depleted domestic pipeline gas to imported LPG without expanding state-owned buffer stocks or establishing a price stabilisation fund leaves consumers at the mercy of private cartels and volatile global freight markets.

The government has taken up a Tk 2,910.22 crore project to expand and modernise electricity distribution networks across the three Chattogram Hill Tracts districts, aiming to bring another 88,586 consumers under the national grid and improve power services in one of the country’s most remote regions. The project, titled “Expansion of Electricity Network in Three Hill Districts,” will cover all 26 upazilas of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban. The three districts are home to about 1.84 million people, with more than half belonging to small ethnic communities. Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) under the Power Division will implement the project. Of the estimated project cost, Tk 444.31 crore will come from the government, Tk 2,098.40 crore from an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project loan and Tk 367.52 crore from BPDB’s own funds. The new project has been designed to extend grid services to areas and communities that remained outside the earlier coverage. The ADB approved a $175 million concessional loan in September for expanding reliable and affordable electricity access in the Chattogram Hill Tracts. The project is scheduled to be implemented by June 2031. A Planning Commission member told UNB that the project would expand and improve the electricity distribution system in the three hill districts, helping meet growing demand and improve the quality of electricity services. “Once implemented, the project will make it possible to provide grid-connected electricity to another 88,586 new consumers, bringing nearly 90 percent of the people in the three hill districts under the national grid,” the member said. At present, BPDB has 250,782 electricity consumers in the three districts, according to the project document. Of them, 75,149 are in Rangamati, 59,834 in Bandarban and 115,799 in Khagrachhari, based on data as of June 2026. The project is expected to add 25,966 new consumers in Rangamati, 17,700 in Bandarban and 44,920 in Khagrachhari. The project document said a previous project, titled “Development of Electricity Distribution System in Three Hill Districts”, was completed in June 2022. Following its implementation, around 55 percent of the people in the hill districts gained access to electricity. The new project has been designed to extend electricity services to people still living outside the coverage area. Under the project, six new 33/11 kV substations will be constructed, including three in Rangamati, two in Khagrachhari and one in Bandarban. Four existing 33/11 kV substations will be upgraded or renovated, along with one switching station. The project will also install 2,038 new distribution transformers with capacities of 250, 100, 50, 25 and 15 kVA. It will construct 244 km of new 33 kV lines and upgrade or renovate another 262 km. For 11 kV lines, 1,016 km of new lines will be constructed and 459 km will be upgraded or renovated. The project also includes construction of 563 km of new 11/0.4 kV lines and renovation or upgrading of 344 km. In addition, 692 km of new 6.35 kV lines, 387 km of new 6.35/0.23 kV lines, 1,179 km of new 0.8 kV lines and 951 km of new 0.23 kV lines will be constructed. Another 402 km of 0.8 kV lines and 407 km of 0.23 kV lines will be upgraded or renovated. The project will cover all 26 upazilas of the three districts — 10 in Rangamati, seven in Bandarban and nine in Khagrachhari. The project document said expanding electricity access in the hill areas is important for development, agriculture and tourism, improvement of living standards and ensuring border security. The project is also aligned with the government’s election manifesto commitment to ensure efficient, affordable and reliable electricity services through strengthening and modernising the power transmission system. It is also in line with Sustainable Development Goal 7, which seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Potholes, damaged roads and knee-deep water after even light rain have turned daily travel into a struggle for residents of Naogaon town, with many roads remaining in poor condition for years. On a number of roads, the asphalt wore away nearly a decade ago, and the underlying brick aggregate has also gradually eroded. Some roads are now covered with mud, while deep potholes filled with rainwater make it difficult to judge their depth. Drivers of battery-powered rickshaws, CNG-run vehicles and rickshaws are often reluctant to ply the worst-affected roads. Even when passengers offer higher fares, residents often struggle to find a vehicle. Patients, pregnant women, students and elderly people are among those facing the greatest hardship.

Bangladesh is expanding disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness measures as floods, cyclones, tidal surges, river erosion and other natural calamities continue to threaten lives, livelihoods and infrastructure across the country. The government has allocated more than Tk 1,510 crore for the Cash for Work programme and over Tk 1,454 crore for rural infrastructure maintenance in the current fiscal year, according to a budget document. The measures form part of a broader disaster management strategy that combines emergency preparedness, resilient infrastructure, social protection, early warning systems and community-based response mechanisms. Under the Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest (EGPP), employment has been ensured for around 20 lakh rural workers, one-third of whom are women. More than 5 lakh metric tonnes of food grains have also been distributed through the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) and Kabikha programmes, while humanitarian assistance to more than 11 lakh forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals is continuing. Expanding shelter network The government is currently implementing construction, renovation and development works for 450 cyclone and disaster shelters at a cost of Tk 150 crore. Construction of another 448 shelters in river erosion-prone and flood-prone areas is also progressing, expanding the country’s capacity to provide safe refuge to communities exposed to recurring disasters. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has also undertaken canal excavation and re-excavation programmes to reduce waterlogging, improve irrigation facilities and maintain ecological balance. Tree plantation is being carried out alongside these initiatives to improve environmental sustainability and reduce soil erosion. Under the government’s 180-day programme for the first six months of its tenure, the ministry set a target of excavating 1,500 kilometres of canals, rivers and drainage channels and planting 1 lakh saplings. Strengthening emergency response For central coordination during major disasters, land has been acquired for establishing a National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), while the process of initiating its construction project is underway. The government has also procured modern rescue equipment and 11 aerial platform ladders at a cost of around Tk 521 crore for earthquake response and other emergency operations. Further modern rescue equipment is planned to be procured, while institutional capacity will be strengthened to deal with natural disasters, particularly potential major earthquakes, and minimise casualties and property losses. The steps come as Bangladesh remains highly exposed to natural hazards because of its low-lying terrain, extensive river network, high population density and location near the Bay of Bengal. Early warning gets wider reach The government is also strengthening early warning and communication systems to ensure that disaster information reaches communities quickly. Under the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP), 100 percent wireless communication coverage has been ensured. An online database containing information on 78,100 volunteers has also been developed to strengthen emergency response capacity. People across the country can access weather forecasts by calling the toll-free number 1090. Disaster forecasting is being strengthened through satellite technology, while plans have been undertaken to use modern satellite-based systems to monitor river erosion. Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu told Parliament in June that the government has earmarked 445 earthquake shelters across the capital as part of its preparedness to reduce risks from tremors and other urban disasters. The shelters include 256 locations under Dhaka South City Corporation and 189 under Dhaka North City Corporation, bringing the total to 445. Dulu said the government is also preparing a coordinated volunteer database with the goal of mobilising 100,000 volunteers in Dhaka city and its adjoining areas so that they can respond to any major disaster. He said information on volunteers working under various government and non-government organisations is being collected to create the database and strengthen emergency response capacity. A country exposed to multiple hazards Bangladesh faces a wide range of natural hazards, including floods, cyclones, tidal surges, river erosion, drought, waterlogging and landslides. Floods are among the most common disasters, particularly during the monsoon, when heavy rainfall and rising river levels can inundate large areas. The scale of the challenge was underscored by the severe monsoon floods and landslides in July 2026. According to the United Nations, around 1.28 million people were affected across seven districts, while 59 deaths were reported as of July 22. Some 74,479 houses were damaged or destroyed, 27,007 hectares of cropland were affected and more than 266,000 livestock were impacted. The UN estimated that around 436,000 people affected by the July disaster required humanitarian assistance. The combined losses to the livestock and fisheries sectors alone were estimated at US$17.3 million. The disaster also demonstrated the importance of preparedness before hazards reach their peak. A UN update in July said 1,700 shelters had been activated during the initial Chattogram Division emergency, with 17,000 people temporarily displaced. Coastal districts are particularly vulnerable to cyclones and tidal surges, which can damage houses, agricultural land, embankments and fisheries. Riverbank erosion frequently forces families to relocate and causes the loss of farmland and settlements. In northern and north-western regions, drought and water shortages can affect agricultural production during periods of inadequate rainfall. Landslides are a recurring risk in hilly areas, particularly in the Chattogram Hill Tracts and parts of Chattogram and Sylhet, where heavy rainfall can trigger sudden slope failures. Climate change is adding to these risks through sea-level rise, changing rainfall patterns and increasing the intensity of some extreme weather events. Despite these measures, natural calamities continue to impose significant economic and social costs. Strengthening local preparedness, improving drainage and flood management, protecting rivers and coastal areas, and ensuring rapid relief and rehabilitation remain key priorities for reducing the vulnerability of communities across Bangladesh. As climate and disaster risks evolve, the effectiveness of these measures will depend not only on infrastructure and technology but also on coordination among government agencies, local authorities, volunteers and communities on the ground.  

The government has kept fuel prices unchanged for October, but the impact of last month’s Tk 20-per-litre hike is continuing to ripple through Dhaka’s kitchen markets, with traders reporting higher transport costs and consumers facing increased prices for vegetables, meat and eggs. The government on Wednesday night announced that fuel prices would remain unchanged in October, about 10 days after it raised the prices of diesel, octane, petrol and kerosene by Tk 20 per litre each. Following the September 20 hike, diesel now sells for Tk 135 per litre from Tk 115, while octane for Tk 165 from Tk 145, petrol for Tk 160 from Tk 140 and kerosene Tk 155 per litre from Tk 135. Traders at Shantinagar, Badda, Rampura and Malibagh markets said the higher fuel prices increased transport costs, which were being passed on to consumers. Harun, a vegetable trader in Badda, said truck and pickup fares have increased by Tk 2,000-5,000 per trip since the fuel price hike. “Costs have risen both for bringing vegetables to the wholesale market and for carrying them from there to the retail markets,” he said. Moslem, a vegetable seller at Rampura kitchen market, said the prices of vegetables have risen by at least Tk 20 per kg over the past 10 days. Round brinjal is selling at Tk 150-180 per kg, depending on quality, compared to Tk 80-120 before the fuel price hike. Yardlong beans now cost Tk 120 per kg, up from Tk 80, while ridge gourd, bitter gourd and pointed gourd are selling at Tk 80-90, compared to Tk 50-60 previously. Meat prices have also increased. Beef is now selling at Tk 850 per kg at Madhya Badda kitchen market, up from Tk 800 a few days ago. “Most of our cattle heads come from Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Jamalpur and Sirajganj. Truck fares from those areas have gone up by Tk 5,000-6,000 per trip. We were forced to raise the price of beef,” said Saddam, a meat trader at the market. Egg prices have also risen, with a dozen now selling at Tk 160-170, compared to Tk 120 in the first week of September. Traders attributed the increase mainly to higher transport costs. Traders fear that prices could rise further if transport costs remain high, while consumers say the sudden increase has disrupted their household budgets. Moinul Hasan, who works at a private bank, said, “On one hand, the salaries of government employees have been doubled under the new pay scale; on the other, fuel prices have been raised overnight. The entire burden has fallen on those who are not in government jobs.” Firoza Rahman, a kindergarten teacher, said the fuel price hike increased costs across different areas of daily life, not just in kitchen markets. She said the pay rise for government employees, without a corresponding increase for private-sector workers, has created a serious disparity. Agricultural economist and former Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Abdul Bayes said the full impact of the fuel price hike has yet to be felt. “Higher diesel prices will raise irrigation costs for farmers by Tk 10,000-20,000 per hectare. That will push up the prices of rice, pulses, wheat, everything,” he said. Bayes warned that the increase in all fuel prices, coupled with an existing fertiliser shortage, could put further pressure on food prices. The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) said some traders were exploiting the fuel price hike to pass unjustified costs on to consumers. CAB President AHM Shafiquzzaman said the situation will deteriorate unless market monitoring is strengthened. “We need to assess how much prices have actually gone up, how much of it is justified, and how much is being passed on to the market. There is no alternative to tightening monitoring,” he said. Energy experts said the government was raising fuel prices under the existing pricing rules without adequately considering their impact on consumers, which could make the market more volatile. M Shamsul Alam, energy adviser to CAB and dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Daffodil International University, said the government must first address weaknesses in its energy policy. “If prices are raised abruptly without a sound energy policy, consumers suffer the negative impact, but when prices are reduced, they do not get the benefit,” he said.

Two farmers in Kumarkhali upazila have achieved a good harvest of pesticide-free bitter gourd using Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for the first time in the area, but low market prices have left them struggling to earn returns that match their higher cultivation costs. Green bitter gourd vines laden with fresh produce grow on bamboo and net trellises inside a three-bigha field enclosed by blue nets in Dhalnagar village under Chandpur Union. Farmers Dabir Uddin Farazi and Abdul Bari have cultivated the Alisa variety of bitter gourd on the land using GAP, an environment-friendly farming approach aimed at producing safe and quality food while reducing dependence on chemical pesticides. Over the past 10 days, they have sold around 2,200 kg of bitter gourd at wholesale prices ranging from Tk 30 to Tk 55 per kg, earning around Tk 65,000-70,000. They expect to harvest and sell another 4,000 kg or more over the next one and a half months if weather conditions remain favourable, with the expected market value exceeding Tk 250,000. However, the farmers say they are not receiving any premium for their pesticide-free produce as there is no separate market or designated corner for pesticide-free vegetables. “GAP cultivation costs more because we have to buy nets, traps and organic fertiliser. But the yield is good and the vegetables are healthy. Consumers are still reluctant to pay a higher price for pesticide-free vegetables,” said Dabir Uddin. He said they spent around Tk 180,000 on land preparation, seeds, materials and cultivation on the three bighas.  

A severe shortage of manpower and essential raw materials has sharply reduced repair and production activities at the country’s largest railway workshop at Saidpur in Nilphamari districr, raising concerns over the safety and reliability of train services in Bangladesh’s western region. The workshop is struggling to carry out scheduled maintenance, according to railway officials and workers. A recent incident in Akkelpur of Joypurhat showed the concern when a coach of the intercity Barendra Express, bound for Nilphamari’s Chilahati from Rajshahi, derailed after one of its springs broke. Railway officials and workers said such mechanical problems have become frequent on trains operating in the western region, with the shortage of manpower at the Saidpur Railway Workshop making timely repairs increasingly difficult. As a result, several trains are being operated with coaches that require repair, they said. An inspection of the condition of coaches on the Chilahati-Saidpur and Khulna-Rajshahi routes found problems with several intercity trains, including the Simanta, Rupsha, Barendra and Titumir Express. Many coaches have broken seats and damaged windows, while fans and lighting systems are often out of order. Bathroom fittings are in poor condition, making some toilets difficult to use, while water-supply lines are also reportedly dysfunctional. Workshop officials said many of these coaches require repairs but the work cannot be carried out on time because of manpower and material shortages. Machinery lying idle According to workshop sources, around 600 of the 749 pieces of machinery at the Saidpur Railway Workshop, worth nearly Tk 1,500 crore, are lying idle and deteriorating due to a shortage of skilled technicians and funds. The low utilisation of the machinery has contributed to a decline in production and repair output, worsening the shortage of serviceable coaches for trains in the western region. Under railway maintenance schedules, intercity coaches are supposed to undergo repair every year, mail and express coaches every one and a half years, and freight wagons every three years. However, many coaches are not being repaired within the prescribed periods because of the various constraints at the workshop, railway sources said. A train inspector, speaking on condition of anonymity, said load-bearing springs of coaches are supposed to be replaced every five years. Instead, in some cases, plates or packing materials are placed underneath worn-out springs to increase their height, he said. The packing can come loose within a short period, affecting the coach’s ability to carry weight and causing excessive shaking while the train is running, he added. Such makeshift repairs increase the risk of major accidents, the inspector added. Old coaches, mounting pressure According to railway sources, 66 intercity and 60 mail trains operate under the western railway zone, with 818 coaches attached to the services. The western zone also operates 956 broad-gauge and 200 metre-gauge freight wagons on different routes. The passenger fleet includes 50 broad-gauge coaches imported from Indonesia in 2006, along with 100 red-and-green broad-gauge and 50 metre-gauge coaches. There are also 120 red-and-green coaches from India. In addition, the fleet includes 448 broad-gauge coaches imported from Germany, Denmark and Pakistan around 45 years ago, according to railway sources. Mominul Islam, in-charge of the carriage shop at Saidpur Railway Workshop, said adequate manpower could significantly increase the workshop’s repair capacity and reduce the need to import coaches. “Had we had the required manpower, there would have been no need to import coaches. This could save the railway hundreds of crores of taka every year,” he said. The wagon shop is facing a similar problem, he said. Although it receives a demand to repair 250-300 wagons annually, only around 200 can be turned out because of manpower shortages. Raw material shortage Divisional Superintendent of Saidpur Railway Workshop Shah Sufi Nur Mohammad said a significant number of posts at the country’s largest railway workshop are vacant. “Workers are putting in extra hours beyond their scheduled working time to keep production going,” he said. However, the shortage of essential raw materials is a major obstacle, he said, adding that production is being disrupted because necessary materials are not supplied on time and in adequate quantities. “The matter has been brought to the attention of the higher authorities,” he said. Saidpur Railway Station Master Obaidul Islam said several coaches of trains operating on the routes have to be taken out of service for months because of mechanical problems. “As a result, we cannot issue tickets even for short-distance stations. Passengers are often forced to travel standing because tickets are unavailable,” he said. Many passengers consequently travel without tickets, depriving the railway of revenue, he added. He also said mechanical problems frequently cause schedule disruptions on the routes. Abdullah Al Mamun, divisional traffic superintendent of the Lalmonirhat Railway Division, said manpower shortages exist across the railway network but the shortage at the Saidpur Railway Workshop has become a major obstacle to smooth train operations.

For Bangladesh, a delta defined by water, managing it has always been a delicate balancing act — containing destructive floods during the monsoon while ensuring enough freshwater for agriculture, fisheries and ecosystems in the dry season. The government is implementing a range of projects to improve water resources management, including river restoration, flood protection, irrigation, drainage improvement, salinity control and waterlogging mitigation, according to a budget dicument. The Ministry of Water Resources is also planning to excavate and re-excavate 680 kilometres of canals, irrigation canals and drainage channels in fiscal 2026-27 as part of a broader government initiative to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals, rivers and drainage channels over the next five years. Special initiatives have been taken to restore and free at least one river in each division from encroachment to maintain ecological balance. Under seven projects, 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. The ministry has also developed a Water Quality Index (WQI) for rivers surrounding Dhaka. A real-time dashboard for monitoring groundwater levels has been developed using artificial intelligence and deep-learning technologies, creating a digital system for monitoring groundwater resources, according to the document. Under the project titled “Identification and Classification of Canals in Bangladesh and Development of a Geo-Informatics Database”, canals across the country will be identified and a GIS-based canal network developed. For flood protection, the government has set targets for FY2026-27 to construct, reconstruct and rehabilitate embankments and flood walls over 309 kilometres and improve river navigability and remove submerged shoals over 484 kilometres. Meanwhile, construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation works covering 292 kilometres of embankments and flood walls are underway under the government’s 180-Day Programme for Flood Protection. The budget document said obstruction of water flows through upstream dams on the Teesta and Padma rivers has adversely affected agriculture, irrigation, fisheries and biodiversity in their river basins in Bangladesh. Against this backdrop, the government has approved the “Padma Barrage (Phase-I)” project at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The project will be implemented from July 2026 to June 2033 and includes construction of a 2.1-kilometre main barrage and a hydropower plant on the Padma River at Pangsha in Rajbari. The project is intended to conserve and regulate Padma River water and restore freshwater flows during the dry season, with the stated objectives of increasing agricultural production, maintaining navigability and preserving ecological balance. According to the budget document, the project will enable annual storage of 2,900 million cubic metres of water and help prevent salinity intrusion in the Padma basin, including the Sundarbans, by restoring navigability in five distributaries and tributaries. It is also expected to provide irrigation to 2.88 million hectares of land and support uninterrupted agricultural production. The project has projected annual increases of 20.39 million tonnes in rice production and 2.34 million tonnes in fish production. The government estimates that the project will directly and indirectly benefit people in 120 upazilas across 19 districts in four divisions, representing around 37 percent of the country’s population. The government is also taking initiatives to implement the “Comprehensive Management and Restoration of the Teesta River Project”, commonly known as the Teesta Master Plan, to improve the livelihoods and living conditions of people in northern Bangladesh.