Water Resources Minister Md Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie said Bangladesh would remain more vigilant to prevent its people from facing any form of Indian water aggression. He made the remarks on Tuesday, August 25, after inspecting the flood-control embankment area of the Muhuri River in Parshuram, Feni. He said India should consider how to maintain a positive relationship with neighbouring Bangladesh as a friendly country.

The minister said the government would confront corruption, while noting that corruption and misrule had been a trend in the country for 17 years. He said he had a personal responsibility, as a son of greater Noakhali, to ensure the project and other national projects are completed properly and without corruption or undue influence.

He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to inaugurate the project next month, with completion targeted by 2030. The ECNEC-approved first phase is valued at Tk1,542.16 crore and has not yet begun. It includes embankment rehabilitation, riverbank protection, dredging, irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation and inlet construction. The minister said compensation would be provided if land acquisition is needed in the second phase.