Demand for implementation of Ganges Barrage project

RAJSHAHI: People of the metropolis in a meeting have called for immediate implementation of the Ganges Barrage Project and North Rajshahi Irrigation Project to save south-western region, including the Sundarbans, reports BSS.
They viewed that proposed Ganges Barrage will be a blessing for Bangladesh since the country is a low riparian area facing water-related problems. They demanded special allocation for the project in the national budget of 2016-17.
About US$ 4 billion is needed to implement the Ganges Barrage Project, but the annual incremental benefit of the project will be Tk 7,340 crore, which means the cost of barrage project will be returned within five years, they claim.
Rajshahi Raksha Sangram Parishad (RRSP), a social organization of the city, organised the meeting on Collectorate Building
premises.
With RRSP President Liakat Ali in the chair, General Secretary Jamat Khan, Freedom Fighter Dr Abdul Mannan, General Secretary of Rajshahi Union of Journalists Mamunur Rashid, Advocate Monzur Hassan Mithu of Awami League, Advocate Entajul Haque Babu of Workers' Party of Bangladesh and Freedom
Fighter Shahjahan Ali Borjahan spoke on the occasion.
According to the feasibility study, once the project is implemented, agricultural production in the Ganges dependent area will increase while additional paddy production would be about 26 lakh metric tonnes minimizing the crop damage and loss of paddy significantly. Additional fish production would be about 2.4 lakh metric tonnes, speakers said.
The increased upstream water flow will reduce the rate of siltation in the river systems in the Southwest region. About 33per cent area of the Sundarbans would become moderately low saline zones and about 11, 000 hectares of land in the Sundarbans would become very low salinity zone.
About benefits of the project, Liakat Ali said agricultural production will increase in the region and its one-third of population will be benefited economically and environmentally from the project.
He said Bangladesh will not face any trouble in getting equity share of the trans-boundary river water as per the Ganges Water Treaty signed between Bangladesh and India in 1996.
Bangladesh will be benefited from the project in all aspects – salinity will be reduced considerably and all dead rivers of the region will be recharged after implementation of the project.
The government has already completed the feasibility study and design of the proposed 2.1km long Ganges Barrage Project at Pangsha of Rajbari, some 98km downstream from the Farakka Barrage.
The proposed project has a reservoir to augment the flow of water and its equal distribution, in both dry and wet season, over the Ganges dependent area. The project will meet the demand of the Ganges water for agriculture, fisheries, ecosystems and navigation, Liakat Ali added.
Later, the leaders handed over a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner at his office containing a 10-point demand.

Demand for implementation of Ganges Barrage project

RAJSHAHI: People of the metropolis in a meeting have called for immediate implementation of the Ganges Barrage Project and North Rajshahi Irrigation Project to save south-western region, including the Sundarbans, reports BSS. They viewed that proposed Ganges Barrage will be a blessing for Bangladesh since the country is a low riparian area facing water-related problems. They demanded special allocation for the project in the national budget of 2016-17. About US$ 4 billion is needed to implement the Ganges Barrage Project, but the annual incremental benefit of the project will be Tk 7,340 crore, which means the cost of barrage project will be returned within five years, they claim. Rajshahi Raksha Sangram Parishad (RRSP), a social organization of the city, organised the meeting on Collectorate Building premises. With RRSP President Liakat Ali in the chair, General Secretary Jamat Khan, Freedom Fighter Dr Abdul Mannan, General Secretary of Rajshahi Union of Journalists Mamunur Rashid, Advocate Monzur Hassan Mithu of Awami League, Advocate Entajul Haque Babu of Workers Party of Bangladesh and Freedom Fighter Shahjahan Ali Borjahan spoke on the occasion. According to the feasibility study, once the project is implemented, agricultural production in the Ganges dependent area will increase while additional paddy production would be about 26 lakh metric tonnes minimizing the crop damage and loss of paddy significantly. Additional fish production would be about 2.4 lakh metric tonnes, speakers said. The increased upstream water flow will reduce the rate of siltation in the river systems in the Southwest region. About 33per cent area of the Sundarbans would become moderately low saline zones and about 11, 000 hectares of land in the Sundarbans would become very low salinity zone. About benefits of the project, Liakat Ali said agricultural production will increase in the region and its one-third of population will be benefited economically and environmentally from the project. He said Bangladesh will not face any trouble in getting equity share of the trans-boundary river water as per the Ganges Water Treaty signed between Bangladesh and India in 1996. Bangladesh will be benefited from the project in all aspects salinity will be reduced considerably and all dead rivers of the region will be recharged after implementation of the project. The government has already completed the feasibility study and design of the proposed 2.1km long Ganges Barrage Project at Pangsha of Rajbari, some 98km downstream from the Farakka Barrage. The proposed project has a reservoir to augment the flow of water and its equal distribution, in both dry and wet season, over the Ganges dependent area. The project will meet the demand of the Ganges water for agriculture, fisheries, ecosystems and navigation, Liakat Ali added. Later, the leaders handed over a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner at his office containing a 10-point demand.