Bangladesh ministers differ on impact of India’s Farakka Barrage on floods

As the swelling Padma river is flooding parts of Bangladesh, two ministers are poles apart in their opinions on India's Farakka Barrage.

Padma may cross danger level as India opens all Farakka gates

Information Hasanul Haq Inu has blamed India opening all gates of the barrage for the flooding in Rajshahi-Kushtia areas.

But, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya thinks even if all the gates to the barrage are opened, it would make no difference for Bangladesh.

India built the controversial barrage across the river Ganges at Murshidabad and Maldaha in West Bengal four decades ago, discounting strong protests by Bangladesh.

Dhaka had objected to New Delhi cutting off the water supply with the barrage. Both countries had signed a deal to share the water of the river which enters Bangladesh as Padma.

But India allegedly blocks the water supply when it needs water during the dry season and opens the barrage during the rainy season.

Rajshahi Water Development Board Supervising Engineer Mir Mosharraf Hossain has blamed the opening of the barrage gates for the recent flooding on the banks of the Padma.

The flood has also affected Kushtia, Information Minister Inu's home district.

The minister spoke to journalists while distributing relief goods among the flood-affected people of Bherhamara on Sunday.

"It's not right to open the gates across a common river. I will draw the attention of the Indian authorities to the matter after counting the losses we've suffered," he said.

The JaSoD president said the government was making plans for permanent rehabilitation of the flood-hit people.

"The relief minister (Maya) and the prime minister will directly supervise the rehabilitation," he added.

Maya in a meeting in Chandpur also spoke about the barrage.

"We had once said the Farakka Barrage is a death trap for us. But now it has become a death trap for India," he said.

"Now there will be no problem for us even if they (India) open the entire barrage or demolish it. The water level of Padma is still below the danger level.

"Farakka water will not be a problem for us, we think," he added.

He also said his ministry was prepared to tackle the flood until November.

The Padma rose by eight centimetres in past 24 hours, but was flowing four centimetres below the danger level at Rajshahi Point on Sunday morning.

The Rajshahi City Protection Dam, however, developed cracks due to the pressure of the rising water.

A 45-metre span of the dam in Faridpur has also been breached.