Farakka barrage gate being replaced on war footing, no flood

A gate in the Farakka barrage of West Bengal, which was washed away last month, is being replaced on a war footing and there is no danger of flood, the government today said.
According to a Ministry of Water Resources statement here, the gate in bay number 49 of main Farakka Barrage in Farakka in West Bengal was damaged on March 15.
This gate was due for replacement under the ongoing work of replacement of 33 gates of main Farakka barrage. However, in the meantime, the gate was washed away before it was to be replaced.
"Farakka Barrage Project has taken up the work of installation of new gate in place of damaged gate on war footing by working round the clock and deploying required men and machineries to commission the new gate within two weeks time. The replacement gate for this purpose is already available at site," the release added.

Meanwhile, the flow in the Farakka Feeder Canal and main Ganga river is being released from Farakka Barrage as per the India-Bangladesh treaty 1996, safeguarding the interests of all the stakeholders.
However, due to the damage to the gate of Farakka barrage, there is no danger of flood in the area, the release said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his immediate intervention for phase-wise replacement of Farakka barrage gates one of which had collapsed.
The washing away of Gate number 49 led to free flow of water down the barrage. Following this authorities have diverted excess water to a feeder canal and towards Bangladesh.

India and Bangladesh had signed a landmark 30-year agreement in 1996 on sharing of Ganga waters.