Ganges Barrage begins in '12

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the present government asked the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to take over the feasibility study again at Tk 343.5 million and gave three years' timeframe to start the main construction work.
In line with the present government's earnest desire, the BWDB in May, 2009 appointed Development Design Consultants Limited (DDC), an international consortium, for studying the feasibility and detailed engineering aspects of the project.
Director of the Ganges Barrage Project Ahsanul Alam told the news agency that the consulting firm with the overall supervision of the BWDB has primarily selected two sites for construction of the barrage, one at Pangsha of Rajbari district and other at Kumarkhali in Kushtia.
He said about 50 per cent work of the feasibility study has been completed in the first phase. In the second phase, he said, technical plan and design of the scheme will be prepared. By this time the selection of final site will be completed, he added.
The Ganges Barrage has been designed to save the south-west and northern parts of the country from dryness and salinity of the rivers in the region.
It will bring one-third areas of the country under irrigation and save the world heritage site Sundarbans and Bhabadah from salinity, help preserve their bio-diversity and improve overall environment.
The whole riverine system in the south-western and northern parts of the country would get back their navigability once the barrage is constructed, the officials said.
The western part of the country which constitutes 37 per cent of the total area of the country and where country's one-third population live depends on the water of the river Ganges (Padma).