Leftist leader Iqbal Kabir Zahid has slammed the government’s approval of the Tk 34,000 crore Padma Barrage project, alleging the scheme was pushed through ECNEC without public debate, parliamentary scrutiny, or consultation with independent experts.

In a statement, the Revolutionary Communist League of Bangladesh general secretary accused the authorities of advancing a politically driven project that could endanger Bangladesh’s environment, river system, and long-term national interests.

According to Zahid, the concept of a Ganges Barrage, which he said now is renamed as Padma Barrage, dates back to the Pakistan era when American engineers proposed it as a countermeasure to India’s Farakka Barrage.

Since then, experts have repeatedly questioned the project’s feasibility, environmental consequences, and long-term economic viability.

However, he said the government ignored those debates and relied solely on recommendations from the Bangladesh Water Development Board.

He warned that critical issues such as sediment management between Farakka and the proposed barrage site, downstream river flow, and the ecological balance extending to the Sundarbans remain unresolved.

Zahid also pointed to the “bitter experience” of the Teesta Barrage project, arguing that earlier river-control policies introduced during the 1960s under foreign advice had already disrupted Bangladesh’s natural river systems and created a permanent water-management crisis.

The leftist leader further argued that constructing the barrage would alter the natural confluence of the Ganges and Jamuna rivers at Goalanda, potentially slowing downstream flow and allowing saline seawater to penetrate further inland.

Such changes, he warned, could seriously affect agriculture, fisheries, and river navigability.

Zahid also accused India of repeatedly violating international norms on transboundary river management by unilaterally diverting upstream water.

He claimed the Padma Barrage project would ultimately benefit India while weakening Bangladesh’s longstanding demand for a fair share of transboundary river water.

Calling the project a burden on the nation, Zahid urged the government to withdraw the decision immediately and engage patriotic water experts, parliament, and the public in any future river-management planning.

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