Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee has once again put the Teesta Master Plan at the centre of his message to the country, saying the long-awaited project is now moving toward visible, on-the-ground implementation. Speaking at a discussion meeting at Jahangirnagar University marking the second anniversary of the July Uprising, the minister said remaining studies would be completed soon, after which work on the ground would begin in earnest.
A Project Years in the Making
The Teesta Master Plan has been discussed for years as a way to address chronic river erosion, water scarcity, and seasonal flooding across the Teesta basin, but it has repeatedly stalled at the study and approval stage. Anee has been consistent in recent months about where things stand, telling parliament earlier this year that the Bangladesh Water Development Board had completed a feasibility study and that a preliminary development project proposal was under review. He has since said the project is expected to move through the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, with an expert engineering team currently finalising the design.
What the Plan Is Meant to Deliver
According to the minister, the project centres on protecting agricultural land, homes, and infrastructure from erosion along the Teesta while improving irrigation and inland navigation. He has previously estimated the cost at around Tk13,000 to 14,000 crore, to be funded through a special domestic financing arrangement alongside technical support from China and other partners. Anee has framed the plan as benefiting not just the five Teesta basin districts but the national economy as a whole, arguing that stabilising the river would open up agro-based economic zones and reduce the recurring losses erosion causes families in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, and Nilphamari.
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Tied to a Long-Standing Political Promise
The project carries weight beyond its engineering scope. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has repeatedly described the Teesta Master Plan as a personal commitment made to voters in the northern region before the last general election, and has said in parliament that it will be implemented at any cost as a matter of national priority. Anee has echoed that framing in his own public remarks, telling residents along the river that the government considers their concerns settled now that the project has priority status.
With studies nearing completion and design work underway, the minister has suggested the formal implementation process could begin within the next couple of months, though he has also acknowledged that full completion could take anywhere from two to seven years depending on how the work unfolds. For the millions of people living along the Teesta’s erosion-prone banks, the promise now is less about whether the plan will happen and more about how soon its benefits will actually reach them.
Summary: Minister Anee says studies on the Teesta Master Plan will wrap up soon, paving the way for visible implementation. The project aims to curb riverbank erosion and transform the economy of the Teesta basin and northern Bangladesh.
