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Geological Survey of Bangladesh

department · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
Md. Abdul Mannan
Role
Director General
Annual budget
—
Staff
—
Established
1972
Legal basis
Established by Cabinet decision of 10 November 1972, incorporating staff and facilities of the Eastern Division of the former Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) in Dhaka; operates as an attached department under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division per Rules of Business 1996 (Bangladesh)

GSB is executing the most active mineral exploration programme in decades: well GDH-79/2025 is drilling to 1,200 metres at Bhelamari (Rangpur) to assess multi-mineral (iron, copper, nickel, manganese, gold) potential at Bangladesh's oldest known iron ore site, while policy attention has refocused on Khalaspir coal (where GSB's own 143 MT reserve estimate sharply contradicts BCMCL's 685 MT figure, a gap that underpins the government's cautious feasibility-first stance). GSB's mandate explicitly excludes hydrocarbon exploration (reserved for BAPEX), but the two agencies share geoscientific data relevant to the Offshore PSC 2026 framework covering 47 Bay of Bengal blocks approved by CCEA on 7 May 2026. Bangladesh's four undeveloped coalfields (Khalaspir, Jamalganj, Dighipara, Fulbari) together hold an estimated 7,500+ million tonnes but all remain in study or dispute phase.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

Established year: Banglapedia gives 1972 (Cabinet decision 10 November 1972); Wikipedia says 'immediately after Independence' (1971). The 1972 date reflects the formal institutional act; used here as it has a specific primary-source basis (Banglapedia, a BANBEIS publication). Official Bangla name confirmed via GSB's own portal header (বাংলাদেশ ভূতাত্ত্বিক জরিপ অধিদপ্তর). Current DG Md. Abdul Mannan confirmed from BSS report of the 1 February 2026 Bhelamari well inauguration; appointment date not available from public sources. Previous DG Mohammad Ilias Hossain was in post as of January 2024 (Risingbd interview). GSB's mandate explicitly does not cover oil and gas exploration: per Banglapedia, 'investigations of the mineral resources except oil and gas.' GSB headquarters at Segunbagicha, Dhaka; camp office at Bogra. Three main divisions with 17 specialised branches: Administrative, Geological Exploration and Application, and Geological Mapping and Geo-laboratories. Equipment includes rotary and wire-line rigs capable of drilling to 2,000 m, plus AAS, XRD, and SEM laboratory facilities. The Khalaspir reserve dispute is material: GSB's figure of 143 MT vs BCMCL's 685 MT -- a 4.8x discrepancy -- is the primary technical basis for the government's reluctance to approve extraction. BAPEX coordination: GSB provides geological subsurface data relevant to seismic interpretation and block delineation; formal coordination documented in the context of the Offshore PSC 2026 process (47 blocks, CCEA approved 7 May 2026 per EMRD record), but no direct joint-operation agreement between GSB and BAPEX found in public sources during this window. Annual budget and staff count not available in accessible public sources; no ADP allocation found at project level for FY2025-26.

Sources