India has opened all 109 gates of the Farakka Barrage following heavy rainfall in Bihar and Jharkhand. The water level at the barrage has surpassed the danger mark of 72 feet, currently standing at 76 feet.
Despite this, officials report that the controlled release of water through the gates has so far prevented a flood situation downstream.
M Inamul Haque, former director general of the River Research Institute, Bangladesh Haor Development Board, and Water Resources Planning Organization, explained: “The Farakka Barrage has 109 gates, some of which are always open. During the monsoon season, more gates are opened. Currently, all of them are open. However, there is no possibility of flooding.”
On August 24, the release of water from the Farakka Barrage began.
Over the past two days, reports indicate that water levels in the rivers downstream have not significantly risen, and no flood situation has developed.
The controlled release of water has kept the water levels stable in the downstream areas of Farakka.
However, authorities have issued a warning, cautioning that if the Ganges River’s water level rises in Bihar, it could lead to unpredictable outcomes in the coming days.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) is closely monitoring the situation.
Sarder Udoy Raihan, executive engineer of the FFWC, said: “Currently, the water level upstream of the Farakka Barrage is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing. The same applies to the Padma River.”
According to Raihan, the river is flowing 1.5 to 2 meters below the danger mark, and the FFWC predicts that the water level of the Ganges will remain stable for the next five days.
In response to media inquiries on Farakka barrage, Shri Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs of India, said: “Reports of the Farakka Barrage gates being opened, allowing over 1.1 million cusecs of water to flow downstream, reflect a normal seasonal development. This occurs due to increased inflow from heavy rainfall in the Ganga River basin’s catchment areas upstream.”
Data is shared with the Joint River Commission officials in Bangladesh regularly and timely, as per protocol, Jaiswal added.
Dr Md Abul Hossain, a member of the Joint River Commission, said that the Farakka Barrage does not have a reservoir. It has a feeder canal upstream that bypasses the Bhagirathi River. The canal’s capacity is 40,000 cusecs, and the rest of the water is released through the barrage gates.
Abdul Hossain further explained that Bangladesh and India share the Ganges water from January to May, based on the river’s flow.
After June, the river’s flow increases, leading to the opening of the gates during the monsoon season. “There is no need to panic,” Hossain assured.
R Desh Pandey, general manager of the Farakka Barrage, said that the authority is on high alert and is constantly monitoring the situation.
“Given the sudden surge in water pressure, it became necessary to open all 109 gates to relieve the pressure on the barrage. Failing to do so could have caused significant damage,” he said.
The Farakka Barrage, situated on the Ganges River in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, India, is located approximately 18 km from the Bangladesh border.
Construction of the barrage began in 1962 and was completed in 1970 at a cost of nearly $1 billion. The barrage officially commenced operations on April 21, 1975.
Source: Dhaka Tribune