Padma swells as India opens Farakka Dam

Desk Report: Padma River, one of the largest rivers of the country, is swelling up alarmingly as neighbouring India has opened almost all gates of the Farraka Barrage in West Bengal.

 

Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials fear that water level in the Padma River might rise beyond the danger level next 48 hours, flooding low-lying areas in different parts of several districts.

 

Meanwhile The Gorai River, one of the longest rivers in Bangladesh and the principal distributary of the Padma, is getting swelled after India had opened the gates of Farakka Barrage. Low-lying areas of Rajshahi and Pabna have already started to be flooded, reports BBC Bangla.

 

BWDB officials said, "Water from Ganges is flowing Padma River as India has opened gates of Farakkah Dam. Water in Padma River is about to flow over the danger level. Water in Padma River is swelling around 2cm in every three hours. Water might flow over the danger level in next 48 hours if it continues."

 

Risingbd Kushtia Correspondent reports that water in Padma was flowing under 0.19cm from the danger level. But Gorai River, the main flow of Padma, is also getting swelled along with the Padma River after Farraka Barrage gates had been opened.

 

As the Ganga River swelled, India has opened 100 flood gates of the Farraka Barrage to relieve the danger to Bihar.

 

Ganga and many of its tributaries were in spate after torrential rain and the monsoonal deluge left thousands of people in five states struggling to cope recently.

 

Heavy rain in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand caused several rivers - tributaries of Ganga - to flood and rise to record levels.

 

The order to open the Farakka Barrage is seen as crucial. "I spoke to the Bihar chief secretary," said Water Resources Ministry Secretary Shashi Shekhar. "We have directed that all gates of Farakka Dam be opened. This should help somewhat in managing the flood."

 

Farakka Barrage has 104 gates and they are being opened to manage nearly 1.1 million cusecs of water that have inundated Bihar and affected nearly 1.0 million residents in the past week.

 

Meanwhile, amid apprehensions of flood waters entering into Patna town of India, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said silt deposited in Ganga River after construction of Farraka Dam has been responsible for spate in the river.

 

He also asked the Centre to remove the dam or come out with a `Silt Management Policy`, according to a report of IndiaExpress.com on Monday.

 

"The current flood situation has been caused by siltation of river Ganga. This situation is the result of silt getting deposited in Ganga after construction of Farakka dam. The only way to remove silt from the river is to remove the dam," Mr Kumar told reporters after a review meeting on flood situation in Patna.

 

If the central government has any other option (other than removing the dam), then it should start working on it, he added.

 

In his Independence Day address too, Bihar CM raised the issue, saying the depth of river Ganga has reduced following the silt deposition in the river due to construction of Farakka Dam.

 

Stressing that Ganga has become shallow due to siltation, Mr Kumar said, "I have been raising this issue consistently for the past 10 years. I raised the issue when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, and now I am raising it before the Narendra Modi government."

 

Due to siltation in the river, the depth of Ganga has reduced and water spreads to the adjoining areas in the event of rise in the water level, he said.

 

"I appeal to the government of India to prepare a policy on silt management. The central government should consider it after taking stock of the situation."

 

"It should come out with the mechanism or way-out to prevent silt getting deposited in Ganga, otherwise it could prove to be a terrible situation in years to come," Mr Kumar added.

 

risingbd/Dhaka/Aug 26, 2016/Kanchan Kumar/A K Azad