Farakka Barrage
Encyclopedia
Farakka Barrage is a barrage
across the Ganges River
, located in the India
n state of West Bengal
, roughly 16.5 kilometres (10.3 mi) from the border with Bangladesh
near Chapai Nawabganj District
. Construction was started in 1961 and completed in 1975. Operations began on April 21, 1975. The barrage is about 2240 metres (7,349.1 ft) long. The feeder canal from the barrage to the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River is about 25 miles (40.2 km) long.
which in the 1950s and 1960s was a problem at the Port of Kolkata (Calcutta) on the Hooghly River. The Hooghly River divides Murshidabad
and Malda districts of West Bengal.
and India
have had many debates about how the Farakka Barrage cuts off Bangladesh's water supply and the sharing the water of the Ganges. Right from the beginning, this created a concern for Bangladesh as it constitutes the low-lying part of Gangotri. After its completion by the end of 1975, it was agreed to run it with specified discharges for a period of 41 days from 21 April to 31 May during the remaining period of the dry season of 1975 under an accord announced as joint press release on 18 April 1975. But after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
on 15 August 1975, relations between two countries became greatly strained and India continued to withdraw water even after the agreed period. The diversions led to a crisis situation in Bangladesh in the dry season of 1976. In 1976, Bangladesh went to the United Nations
and lodged a formal protest against India with General Assembly of The United Nations, which adopted a consensus statement on November 26, 1976. Later talks between two countries were resumed in December 1976. But two countries failed to come into a consensus.
In 1996, a 30-year agreement was signed. It did not contain any guarantee clause for minimum amount of water on Bangladesh and future hydrological parameters were not taken into account. As a result, failed to provide the expected result. Negotiations continue to the present today. In Bangladesh, the diversion has raised salinity levels, contaminated fisheries, hindered navigation, and posed a threat to water quality and public health. Lower levels of soil moisture along with increased salinity have also led to desertification.
The barrage was constructed by Hindustan Construction Company
. It has 123 gates and it serves water to the Farakka Super Thermal Power Station
. There are also sixty canals which can divert the water to another place.
The "rice bowl of India", West Bengal, has water supplied via its vast rivers. Food crops, fish stocks, trade, transportation, nature, environment, flora
, and fauna
are part of people's life lines that are the inhabitants in this area and by extension inhabitants, elsewhere. These groups are both directly dependent on the river system of the West Bengal region.
Barrage (dam)
A barrage is a type of dam which consists of a line of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing the dam. The gates are set between flanking piers which are responsible for supporting the water load...
across the Ganges River
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
, located in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, roughly 16.5 kilometres (10.3 mi) from the border with Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
near Chapai Nawabganj District
Nawabganj District
Chapai Nawabganj is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rajshahi Division. Originally it was a subdivision under Malda district. In 1947, this was severed from Malda and was given to East Pakistan as a sub-division of Rajshahi district...
. Construction was started in 1961 and completed in 1975. Operations began on April 21, 1975. The barrage is about 2240 metres (7,349.1 ft) long. The feeder canal from the barrage to the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River is about 25 miles (40.2 km) long.
Purpose
The barrage was built to divert up to 40000 cuft/s of water from the Ganges River into the Hooghly River during the dry season, from January to June, in order to flush out the accumulating siltSilt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
which in the 1950s and 1960s was a problem at the Port of Kolkata (Calcutta) on the Hooghly River. The Hooghly River divides Murshidabad
Murshidabad
Murshidabad is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal state in India. The city of Murshidabad is located on the southern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River. It was the capital of undivided Bengal during the Mughal rule. Nawabs of Bengal used to rule Bengal from this...
and Malda districts of West Bengal.
Impact
The Ganges is one of the major rivers of the world. It rises at an elevation of about 23,000 feet in Gangotri on the southern slope of the Himalayan range. About one third of the total population of Bangladesh and about 50% of Indian population live in the Ganga basin; 43% of total irrigated area in the country is also in the Ganga basin and there are about 100 urban settlements with a total population of about 120 million on its banks. As a result, BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
have had many debates about how the Farakka Barrage cuts off Bangladesh's water supply and the sharing the water of the Ganges. Right from the beginning, this created a concern for Bangladesh as it constitutes the low-lying part of Gangotri. After its completion by the end of 1975, it was agreed to run it with specified discharges for a period of 41 days from 21 April to 31 May during the remaining period of the dry season of 1975 under an accord announced as joint press release on 18 April 1975. But after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
on 15 August 1975, relations between two countries became greatly strained and India continued to withdraw water even after the agreed period. The diversions led to a crisis situation in Bangladesh in the dry season of 1976. In 1976, Bangladesh went to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and lodged a formal protest against India with General Assembly of The United Nations, which adopted a consensus statement on November 26, 1976. Later talks between two countries were resumed in December 1976. But two countries failed to come into a consensus.
In 1996, a 30-year agreement was signed. It did not contain any guarantee clause for minimum amount of water on Bangladesh and future hydrological parameters were not taken into account. As a result, failed to provide the expected result. Negotiations continue to the present today. In Bangladesh, the diversion has raised salinity levels, contaminated fisheries, hindered navigation, and posed a threat to water quality and public health. Lower levels of soil moisture along with increased salinity have also led to desertification.
The barrage was constructed by Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company is a construction company based in Mumbai, India, founded in 1926. HCC works in various sectors including transportation, power, marine, oil and gas pipeline construction, irrigation, utilities and urban infrastructure. HCC specializes in large-scale civil...
. It has 123 gates and it serves water to the Farakka Super Thermal Power Station
Farakka Super Thermal Power Station
Farakka Super Thermal Power Plant is located at Nabarun in West Bengal. The power plant is one of the Coal based power plants of NTPC.The unit wise capacity and other details are as follows.-External links:*...
. There are also sixty canals which can divert the water to another place.
The "rice bowl of India", West Bengal, has water supplied via its vast rivers. Food crops, fish stocks, trade, transportation, nature, environment, flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
, and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
are part of people's life lines that are the inhabitants in this area and by extension inhabitants, elsewhere. These groups are both directly dependent on the river system of the West Bengal region.
See also
- List of longest bridges in the world
- List of longest bridges above water in India