Bangladesh approves Padma Barrage project, raising environmental concerns
Bangladesh has approved the Padma Barrage, a large river engineering project on the Padma river (Bangladesh's stretch of the Ganga) in Rajbari district. The 2.1-km-long barrage will impound 2.9 billion cubic metres of water, generate 113 MW hydropower, and irrigate 2.88 million hectares of farmland, affecting 37% of the country's land area. This project is Bangladesh's response to drought issues caused by reduced seasonal flows due to India's Farakka barrage upstream. Critics warn that mega-barrages often underperform, alter sediment flows, and create new ecological problems like water-logging and damage to fisheries, highlighting a regional trend of building more river barriers, contrary to global efforts to remove obsolete dams.
मुख्य बिंदु
- Bangladesh approved the Padma Barrage project on the Padma river, its stretch of the Ganga.
- The project aims to address drought and water security issues, partly attributed to India's Farakka barrage.
- The barrage will impound 2.9 billion cubic metres of water and generate 113 MW of hydropower.
- Critics express concerns about potential underperformance, altered sediment flows, water-logging, and damage to fisheries.
- The project reflects a regional trend of building more river barriers, contrasting with global efforts to remove dams and restore free-flowing rivers.
परीक्षा तथ्य
- Project: Padma Barrage.
- Location: Rajbari district, Bangladesh, on the Padma river (Ganga).
- Barrage length: 2.1 km.
- Hydropower generation: 113 MW.
- Upstream barrage in India: Farakka barrage.
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स्पेस्ड-रिपीटिशन फ्लैशकार्ड, दैनिक क्विज़ और ऑफ़लाइन एक्सेस पाएं — एंड्रॉइड पर मुफ़्त।