Farakka Barrage built for 41-day trial now a death trap for Bangladeshis: Moyeen Khan

The Farakka Barrage, initially built for a 41-day trial in 1975, has remained operational for nearly five decades, becoming a life-and-death issue for the people of Bangladesh, said BNP Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan on Friday (14 May).

"Farakka was supposed to be closed and studied after the trial period—from 21 April to 31 May 1975 – but it has continued operating ever since. It is now a death trap for 18 crore Bangladeshis," he said at a public rally marking the 49th Farakka Long March Day.

With support from the New York-based International Farakka Committee (IFC), IFC Bangladesh organised the rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital.

Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani led the Farakka Long March on 16 May 1976 in protest against India's unilateral withdrawal of water from the Ganges River.

Moyeen Khan added, "In 1996, the then Awami League government signed a 30-year water-sharing agreement on the Farakka Barrage, which will expire 2026. The barrage cannot be dismantled – it cost $1 billion to build – but there is a solution: decommissioning the Farakka Barrage. That is the only way to ensure Bangladesh receives its fair share of water."

BNP Chairperson's adviser Abdus Salam said, "Awami fascism may have ended, but its remnants remain. We still hear slogans like 'Not Awami League, not BNP,' yet we fail to identify the real enemies of the nation." 

"India has caused Bangladesh considerable harm. Our relationship with India must be based on justice and equality – not submission."

He also criticised the current interim government's proposal for a humanitarian corridor for Rohingya refugees, asking, "Where is the humanitarian corridor for the people suffering in our Indian-bordering districts?"

Former Jahangirnagar University vice-chancellor Prof Jasim Uddin Ahmad called on the chief adviser to raise Bangladesh's water rights on the global stage.

IFC New York Chairman Sayed Tipu Sultan urged the government to take the issue to the United Nations. "If we raise the Farakka issue, Bihar will join us. We want the barrage dismantled completely," he said.

Kader Gani Chowdhury, general secretary of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), said, "Bangladesh was trampled under Modi's feet. India and Hasina together rejoiced in the deaths of our people. We will each become a Maulana Bhashani and a Ziaur Rahman for this nation."

Bhashani Followers' Council convener Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu said, "We demand our rightful share of water from the 54 transboundary rivers and will continue our fight to achieve it."

Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon, said, "There can be no real freedom without protecting sovereignty. India clearly doesn't want to share water fairly. 

"The Farakka Barrage is harming the Sundarbans. India has installed a submissive government here to exploit us. True friendship must be based on respect and equality – not subjugation."

He also warned that the interim government appears to be straying from its core responsibilities. "Justice, reform, and elections must move forward together. The government must urgently raise the water-sharing issue at the UN," he said.

Speakers noted that, even after 54 years of independence, Bangladesh lacks guaranteed access to water from any of its 54 transboundary rivers. They blamed upstream dams and reservoirs for causing severe environmental degradation across the country.