Statesman News Service
MALDA, Feb. 22: One of the sluice gates of the Farakka Barrage that collapsed yesterday is yet to be repaired despite best efforts by the engineers. As a result, the water of the Ganges is flowing downstream towards Bangladesh. Authorities said they are trying hard to check the flow of additional volume of water to Bangladesh. “A part of sluice gate No 17 was damaged yesterday due to the water pressure and other technical problems. The repair work is on,” Mr MU Ghani, the general manager of Farakka Barrage Project (FBP), said. “These gates need repairs at regular intervals. The vibration of heavy vehicles that ply over the barrage makes the sluice gates vulnerable to such damages,” Mr Ghani, said, adding that efforts are on to ensure that the plant of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is not affected due to the collapse of the sluice gate. “The period between March and May is a tough time for us. We face difficulties to provide required water to the NTPC and the Kolkata Port”, the GM, added.An NTPC official claimed that their plant is functioning properly. “We faced no water scarcity today. Generally we start facing the scarcity from March.Last year, our water canal had dried up, prompting us to shut down two units for a few days.” The FBP authorities today tried to restore the water flow by throwing the “stop lock” to the damaged part of the sluice gate, but did not succeed owing to the heavy discharge.
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