Dhaka, June 10 -- For decades, people living along the Ganges-dependent regions of southwestern Bangladesh have watched rivers shrink, croplands struggle for water and salinity creep deeper into once-fertile areas.

Now the ambitious Padma (Ganges) Barrage Project has rekindled hopes among residents, farmers and water managers who see it as a long-awaited solution to the region's growing water crisis.

Approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), the Tk 33,474-crore project is expected to be implemented over the next seven years.

The mega infrastructure initiative aims to restore river flows, improve irrigation and revive ecosystems across nearly one-third of Bangladesh that have been affected by reduced ...