A recent high-level tour to China led by Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus has marked a turning point in Bangladesh’s strategic development. Over the course of a four-day visit, the delegation secured a visionary 50-year master plan for water management while also forging groundbreaking healthcare initiatives.

The achievements from this tour signal a deepening partnership between Bangladesh and China, based on mutual respect and a shared vision for long-term development.

Bangladesh’s extraordinary geography—marked by the confluence of some of the world’s largest river systems, including the Ganges-Padma, Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Meghna and Teesta—has historically been both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, these rivers provide fertile soil and the resources necessary for agriculture; on the other, their extreme seasonal variations and immense sediment loads pose formidable challenges in terms of flood control and river management.

The river management approaches adopted in the past have largely been influenced by recommendations from international experts. In the 1950s, following the recommendations of the Krug Commission, the United States’ International Engineering Company (IECO) was tasked with drafting a master plan that introduced what is now known as the “commercial approach” to water management in Bangladesh. This approach promoted extensive construction of embankments, sluice gates, and other structures intended to separate the floodplains from the riverbeds. While intended to protect human settlements and agricultural land, these measures eventually led to a number of unintended consequences. Over the ensuing........

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