12,000 Crore Teesta Project to Start in January

The Teesta Master Plan will commence in January next year, implemented as a joint initiative of the governments of Bangladesh and China. A delegation from the Chinese Embassy has already conducted a field survey of the Teesta.

The project, with a 10-year timeline, will cost Tk 12,000 crore. In the first five years, the focus will be on irrigation, erosion control, and the construction of permanent embankments. The draft of the Teesta Master Plan has already been sent to the Chinese government by ERD. Officials believe work will begin in the first week of January.

It is learned that the Teesta River has long been a source of misery for around 20 million people in the northern region. Millions depend on the river for their livelihoods, from agriculture to fishing. However, year after year, erosion by the Teesta has rendered thousands destitute. Many have lost their homes and are living in dire conditions.

A study by Riverine People shows that every year, erosion and flooding by the Teesta cause losses worth over Tk 1 trillion to residents of five northern districts. In addition, the number of displaced people is increasing as homesteads and farmland are swallowed by the river.

If everything goes as planned, implementation of the Teesta Master Plan will officially begin in January 2026, according to Zhong Jing, Director of the Political Section of the Chinese Embassy.

Led by him, a Chinese delegation recently held discussions with BNP, Jamaat, NCP, the Teesta Bachao Nodi Bachao Sangram Parishad, the Teesta River Protection Movement, and riverside communities.

According to experts, since 2014 India has been unilaterally withdrawing all Teesta water during the dry season. In contrast, during the monsoon, the river carries three to four lakh cubic feet of water, with all sluice gates opened.

The surging waters inundate vast areas of five northern districts—Nilphamari, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, and Gaibandha—causing severe erosion and widespread damage to farmland.

Nazrul Islam Haqqani, president of the Teesta Bachao Nodi Bachao Sangram Parishad, said: “For more than 10 years, we have been campaigning with the people of the basin for the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan. The former Awami League government used the Teesta as a political tool; despite promises, they failed to implement the plan. The current interim government’s initiative reflects the long-standing demands and aspirations of the Teesta river communities”.