US Ambassador visits Teesta barrage

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen has visited the Teesta Barrage—the country's largest irrigation project—located in Hatibandha of Lalmonirhat.

He toured this critical infrastructure as part of a three-day official visit to northern Bangladesh, exchanging views with local administration officials and Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) authorities.

The ambassador arrived with his entourage at the Teesta Avashar Rest House in the Gaddimari union of Hatibandha, Lalmonirhat, on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier in the morning, Ambassador Christensen flew to Saidpur from Dhaka. Over the course of his three-day trip, he is scheduled to visit several key sites and landmarks across Lalmonirhat, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, and Nilphamari.

Upon reaching the rest house conference room, he participated in a high-level meeting with top BWDB officials, local administrators, and political leaders.

The discussion focused on the operational management of the Teesta Barrage, water distribution systems, and flood control strategies for the northern region.

Key attendees at the meeting included BWDB Director General Ruhul Amin; Chief Engineer of the Northern Zone (Rangpur) Dr. Sarfaraz Band; Superintending Engineer of Rangpur Circle-1 Ahsan Habib; Superintending Engineer of Circle-2 Md. Mizanur Rahman; Dalia BWDB Executive Engineer Amitabha Chandra; Hatibandha Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Dipjon Mitra; and Dimla UNO Md. Imranuzzaman.

Former Member of Parliament for Nilphamari-1, Engr. Shahrin Islam Chowdhury Tuhin, and General Secretary of Nilphamari District Jubo Dal, Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, alongside local political figures and dignitaries, were also present.

Following the discussion, Ambassador Christensen toured the Teesta Barrage control room. He closely observed current water levels, the supply mechanism across irrigation canals, and the barrage's general operations before walking across the main bridge of the structure.