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Standing Committee on Ministry of Water Resources

parliamentary_committee · partial (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
—
Role
Chairman
Annual budget
—
Staff
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Established
1973
Legal basis
Constitution of Bangladesh, Article 76 (standing committees of Parliament); Rules of Procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad (Rules 196-241, requiring one standing committee per ministry); Bangladesh Water Development Board Act, 2000

The Article 76 Standing Committee on Ministry of Water Resources has not been constituted as of 2026-05-17 -- it is expected to be formed in the second session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (likely June 2026). Parliamentary water sector oversight in this interim window is being exercised through direct ministerial statements and floor debates by Water Resources Minister Md. Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee (BNP, Lakshmipur-3). The three issues that will dominate the committee's agenda when constituted are: (1) Padma Barrage implementation oversight -- the ECNEC-approved Tk 34,497.25 crore BWDB mega-project (July 2026-June 2033) is the largest active water infrastructure commitment; (2) Teesta Master Plan financing and execution -- BWDB feasibility study completed, PDPP under scrutiny, $550 million Chinese loan being sought; (3) Ganges Water Sharing Treaty renewal -- the 1996 treaty expires in December 2026, and the India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission is actively engaged in renewal negotiations that the committee will need to scrutinise.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

Verification status set to 'partial' because: (1) the chairman and members of the 13th Parliament's Article 76 Standing Committee on Ministry of Water Resources have not been publicly announced as of 2026-05-17 -- the first session (March 12 to April 30, 2026) formed only five procedural/structural committees, and ministry-specific standing committees are expected to be constituted in the second session (likely June 2026); (2) established_year 1973 reflects activation of the standing committee system under the first Jatiya Sangsad, not the current parliament's own committee. MINISTER vs COMMITTEE: Water Resources Minister Md. Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee (BNP, Lakshmipur-3; sworn in February 17, 2026) is the executive head of the ministry and cannot chair the standing committee under constitutional convention -- the committee chairman must be a backbencher MP. All recent parliamentary water sector actions (Haor Bill, Teesta disclosures, Padma Barrage) are executive-driven: minister placing bills, PM reporting to the floor, ECNEC approvals -- not committee actions. PADMA BARRAGE: The Tk 34,497.25 crore figure is confirmed by BSS, TBS, Prothom Alo, Dhaka Tribune, and Daily Star independently; the ANI figure of '$4B' is approximate; the project cost is Tk 34,497.25 crore per BSS primary source. TEESTA DATE: The PM's JS statement on the Teesta Master Plan feasibility study completion was reported by BSS (js-session/382552) and Dhaka Tribune (408940) during the first session; the exact sitting date is within the March 12 to April 30, 2026 window -- the April 14 date used in notable_events is an approximation within that session range and should be verified against the official JS sitting record when the committee is constituted. HAOR ACT DATE: April 7, 2026 is confirmed by multiple primary sources (BSS, TBS, The Report, BD Pratidin). GANGES TREATY: The 1996 treaty expires December 2026; renewal negotiations are live but no parliamentary committee action has occurred yet as the committee is unconstituted -- this will be a first-order agenda item once formed.

Sources