Farakka Dam: Nightmare of the Millions

About 20 million people in the northern part of Bangladesh are being affected by the lack of irrigation water downstream due to the Farakka Dam in India on the banks of the Ganges. Another 40 million people in the south and one-third of the area has been affected by the lack of irrigation water.

It is not possible to irrigate even 65% of the area of the Ganga-Kopotakkho River. Bangladesh is facing more multifaceted losses. Financially, the annual loss is about five crore taka.

Due to the adverse effects of Farakka Dam, the fertile soil of Bangladesh has decreased. About 21% of the country's shallow tube wells and 42% of the deep tube wells are not being used.

After the Ganges Water Treaty, the share of Ganges water in Bangladesh stands at less than 20,000 cubic feet per second. But even before the Farakka Dam, Bangladesh used to get more than 70,000 cusecs of water even in the dry season.

On 16 May 1976, a long march of lakhs of people was held towards Maran Dam Farakka under the leadership of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani to protest against the construction of Farakka Dam upstream of Padma. In view of this, under international pressure, India signed the Ganges water sharing agreement with Bangladesh; But later India alone is taking water from the Ganges in violation of all international laws. As a result, vast areas of lower country Bangladesh are turning into deserts || Photo: Collected