Nearly a decade after Bangladesh began exploring a comprehensive plan to restore the Teesta River, the long-awaited project remains far from construction, with financing and implementation arrangements still unsettled despite renewed interest from China and the Netherlands.
The latest schedule suggests that a fresh feasibility study may not be completed until March 2028, making construction before 2029 unlikely and pushing back earlier expectations of work beginning in 2027.
The Water Resources Ministry has submitted a proposal worth around Tk 23 crore to the Planning Commission to conduct the study.
If approved, an international consultant will be appointed through competitive bidding to assess the technical and economic viability of a proposed barrage, river training, dredging, flood control, water conservation and associated infrastructure.
Officials said the government intends to finance the study from its own resources rather than depend on a foreign partner. Its findings will guide decisions on the main project, including its design, cost and implementation.
Water Resources Secretary Dr AKM Shahabuddin said the study’s recommendations would determine the way forward. “If approved, it will pave the way for appointing a consultant through international competitive bidding,” he said.
The delay has fuelled frustration among northern communities affected by river erosion, seasonal flooding and dry-season water shortages.
Residents and campaigners say the project is vital to protecting livelihoods, supporting agriculture, conserving biodiversity and reducing land degradation and desertification.
Information Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said on 6 October that the government remained committed to the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project, although its funding source had yet to be finalised.
“Bangladesh will take any decision that serves its interests,” he said. “This is an independent, sovereign government that decides in the interests of the people and the state.”
The Teesta presents two major seasonal challenges. Heavy monsoon rainfall and sediment can force the river into multiple channels, worsening floods and erosion, while sharply falling dry-season water levels threaten irrigation, agricultural production and river-dependent livelihoods.
In June, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told parliament that surveys had been completed and technical and financial assessments were under way for a barrage to store water for the dry season.
The proposed plan includes around 110 kilometres of riverbank protection, dredging and river-training works, flood-control embankments and roads.
China’s potential role gained renewed attention following Tarique’s June visit to Beijing.
A joint statement said the two countries had agreed to deepen cooperation in integrated water-resource management, hydrological forecasting, flood prevention, disaster reduction, river dredging and technology sharing.
China also expressed readiness to support the Teesta project within its capacity and help experts from both countries expedite the feasibility study and related work. Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said during the visit that the two countries had agreed to work together on the study.
However, the proposed domestically funded assessment indicates that the earlier understanding has yet to become a final financing or implementation agreement.
The Netherlands has also emerged as a potential partner. On 13 October, Tarique welcomed the Dutch government’s interest in conducting a feasibility study and providing technical expertise during a meeting with a delegation led by Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.
Highlighting the countries’ shared delta characteristics, the prime minister expressed particular interest in Dutch expertise in land reclamation. Sjoerdsma stressed cooperation in water management, transboundary rivers, char development and climate-resilient river systems.
Dutch involvement could bring expertise in river engineering, land-use planning and climate adaptation.
However, the expression of interest is not a formal agreement. Dhaka still needs to clarify whether Dutch assistance would support the proposed study, contribute to subsequent design and supervision, or form part of a wider financing arrangement.
As the Teesta flows from India into Bangladesh, upstream water management remains central to the river basin’s future.
In July, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi’s views on the project had been conveyed to Dhaka and that India would consider developments in its overall approach to the Teesta issue.
India had previously expressed interest in participating during former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, but no current public announcement confirms an agreed Indian role in the latest plan.
The project’s proximity to a region of strategic importance to India, alongside Beijing’s infrastructure engagement in Bangladesh, has added a geopolitical dimension.
However, Bangladesh’s priorities remain river restoration, erosion control, dry-season water conservation, irrigation, flood management and community protection-not competition among external powers.
General Secretary of the Teesta Bachao Nodi Bachao Andolon Shafiar Rahman told The New Nation that people in the north were eagerly awaiting implementation of the master plan, which he described as vital to protecting their lives and livelihoods.
“We want the government to fulfil its pledge to implement the project, and we want to have confidence in its commitment,” he said.
“But to build that confidence, the government must first announce a clear roadmap and allocate a specific budget for the project,” he added.
For communities along the Teesta, the key question is when the government will move beyond studies and expressions of interest to a funded plan and visible construction.