BWDB - Bangladesh Water Development Board

After recurrence devastating flood of 1954 and 1955 Crug Mission was formed in 1957 under United Nations (UN) to boost up food productivity by minimizing flood damage and water resources development & management in this region. As per mission’s recommendations, Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) started its operation in 1959 as the water wing of the erstwhile ‘East Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority’ in 1959. As the principal agency of the government for managing water resources of the country it was given the responsibility of accomplishing the tasks of executing flood control, drainage and irrigation projects to increase productivity in agriculture and fisheries. After the independence of Bangladesh, the authority was restructured in 1972 into two different organizations to deal with water and power separately. BWDB was created under the Bangladesh Water and Power Development Boards Order 1972 (P.O. No. 59 of 1972) as a fully autonomous organization. The reform program and structural adjustment process were undertaken by the GoB for transformation of BWDB is the enactment of the BWDB Act, 2000 that requires the BWDB's functions be guided by the National Water Policy (NWPo)-1999 and National water Management Plan (NWMP)-2004. Policy making and overseeing the overall management of BWDB is now vested on the Governing Council (GC) with thirteen Members headed by the Minister, Ministry of water Resources.