Ministry of Water Resources
ministry
· verified (verified 2026-05-17)
Profile
- Head
- Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee
- Role
- Minister
- Annual budget
- ৳128,690,000,000
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 1994
- Legal basis
- Bangladesh Water Act, 2013 (Act No. 14 of 2013); BWDB Act, 2000; Water Resources Planning Act, 1992 (Act No. XII of 1992); renamed from Ministry of Irrigation, Water Development and Flood Control per government memo 8/90 (Part-1)/618 dated 14 September 1994
Pursuing three flagship infrastructure commitments simultaneously: (1) 20,000 km nationwide canal re-excavation over five years with BWDB geo-database support; (2) Teesta Master Plan implementation pending full PDPP approval and financial closure; (3) Padma Barrage Phase 1 (Tk 34,497 crore, ECNEC-approved 13 May 2026) entering implementation from July 2026.
Recent activity
- 2026-02-17 appointment Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee (BNP Joint Secretary General, MP Lakshmipur-3) took oath as Minister of Water Resources in the BNP-led government under PM Tarique Rahman. ↗↗↗
- 2026-02-26 reform Minister Anee directed all relevant ministries to submit action plans for the nationwide canal excavation programme; the government targets re-excavating 20,000 km of canals over five years, with an initial 1,000 km target within the first 180 days of the government (reportedly over 1,200 km completed by this milestone). ↗↗
- 2026-03-15 procurement BWDB launched a Tk 31.57 crore project titled 'Identification, Classification and Development of a Geo-Informatics Database of Canals in Bangladesh' (January 2026 to June 2029) to create a geo-information system covering Bangladesh's estimated 30,000+ canals, underpinning the canal excavation programme. ↗↗
- 2026-03-20 statement Minister Anee inspected haor embankment construction sites in Dharmapasha, Jamalganj, and Tahirpur (Sunamganj), pledging strict anti-corruption measures after the northeastern haor region experienced flash flooding that inundated approximately 16,000 hectares of boro paddy in Sunamganj and 9,049 hectares in Kishoreganj. ↗↗
- 2026-04-07 regulation Parliament passed the Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Conservation Bill, 2026, placed by Minister Anee; the law formally regularises the Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development department under MoWR, prohibits illegal encroachment and unauthorised excavation, mandates departmental clearance before any development project in haor/wetland boundaries, and carries penalties of up to 2 years jail or Tk 2 lakh fine. ↗↗↗
- 2026-04-14 statement Minister Anee told parliament that the government must implement the Teesta Master Plan as pledged by PM Tarique Rahman; BWDB feasibility study recommends 110 km of river dredging; a preliminary development project proposal (PDPP) has been prepared and is under technical review before full project approval. ↗↗
- 2026-04-20 statement Minister Anee stated a decision on the Padma Barrage project was imminent, with the feasibility study near completion; he cited benefits for the greater Kushtia-Faridpur-Khulna-Barishal-Pabna-Rajshahi region. ↗↗
- 2026-05-13 procurement ECNEC chaired by PM Tarique Rahman approved the 'Padma Barrage (1st Phase)' mega-project at Tk 34,497.25 crore (fully GoB-financed), to be implemented by BWDB from July 2026 to June 2033; the 2.1 km barrage will include 78 spillways, 18 undersluices, 2 fish passes, and navigation locks; projected to benefit 70 million people, irrigate 28.80 lakh hectares, and generate Tk 8,000 crore annual return while contributing 0.45 percent to GDP. ↗↗↗↗
Provenance & notes
established_year is 1994, the year the ministry was formally renamed 'Ministry of Water Resources' per memo 8/90 (Part-1)/618 dated 14 September 1994; the predecessor Ministry of Irrigation, Water Development and Flood Control existed from 1971. annual_budget_bdt = 128,690,000,000 BDT = Tk 12,869 crore (FY2025-26 total allocation from MoF budget documents; ADP component alone was Tk 8,489.8 crore). The Padma Barrage (Phase 1) at Tk 34,497.25 crore is a project budget, not reflected in the annual ministry allocation. Teesta Master Plan: BWDB feasibility study complete; 110 km dredging recommended; PDPP under technical review as of April 2026; funding and formal DPP approval pending. Canal programme: 20,000 km over 5 years; 1,200+ km reported completed within first 180-day milestone. Verification cross-checked across BSS, Dhaka Tribune, Prothom Alo (English), The Daily Star, The Business Standard, bdnews24, and MoF budget portal.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Water_Resources_(Bangladesh)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahid_Uddin_Chowdhury_Anee
- https://www.bssnews.net/others/375365
- https://businessinbangladesh.com.bd/shahid-uddin-chowdhury-annie-takes-oath-as-water-resources-minister/
- https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/government/g8mziy0c9f
- https://mowr.gov.bd/
- https://mof.portal.gov.bd/site/budget_mof/e2108cc0-f883-4b32-9f07-eb997226a82b/Ministry-of-Water-Resources
- https://mof.portal.gov.bd/site/budget_mof/02ba27db-7d8a-484b-9a1d-71fbb3509d1b/Ministry-of-Water-Resources
- https://www.bssnews.net/news-flash/363489
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/385539
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/infrastructure/tk31cr-project-map-30000-canals-across-country-1374671
- https://www.bssnews.net/js-session/379376
- https://www.bssnews.net/js-session/382552
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/409509/minister-anee-decision-on-padma-barrage-project
- https://tob.news/padma-barrage-feasibility-study-near-completion-decision-soon-anee/
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/ecnec-approves-tk-34497cr-padma-barrage-project-4174951
- https://www.bssnews.net/news-flash/386672
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/development/410123/govt-undertakes-tk-34-497.25cr-padma-barrage
- https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/government/opefgetyjd
- https://thereport.live/bangladesh/parliament-passes-haor-and-wetland-conservation-bill-2026/39738
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/parliament-passes-bangladesh-haor-wetland-conservation-bill-2026-1404976
- https://www.bssnews.net/js-session/375266
- https://tob.news/govt-to-curb-corruption-in-haor-embankment-projects-anee/
- https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/bangladesh-red-crescent-society-situation-report-1-northeastern-haor-region-flash-flood-30-april-2026
- https://bwdb.brahmanbaria.gov.bd/en/site/page/Glcw-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%A6-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A3%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%9F
- https://www.ecolex.org/details/legislation/bangladesh-water-act-2013-act-no-14-of-2013-lex-faoc154320/