Photo: Collected
Even before Bangladesh could recover from the ongoing severe flooding, India has opened all 109 gates of the Farakka Barrage, due to flooding in Bihar and Jharkhand. The gates were opened on Monday, August 26, which will result in 1.1 million cusecs of water entering Bangladesh in a single day.
The opening of these gates has raised concerns of potential flooding not only in West Bengal’s Murshidabad but also in several regions of Bangladesh. India has claimed that Bangladesh has been informed in advance about the flood situation and the influx of water.
Md. Moyez Uddin, Acting Sub-Divisional Engineer of the Chapai Nawabganj Water Development Board, stated to the media, "I saw in various media outlets that a total of 109 gates have been opened. Such a sudden release could pose a flood risk in this region."
It is feared that due to the opening of these gates, the districts of Rajshahi, Chapai Nawabganj, Pabna, Sirajganj, Kushtia, Rajbari, and Manikganj, along with neighboring areas, may be flooded.
Anwar Hossain, Director of the river research organization Riverine People, also expressed concern, saying, "The news of the Farakka gates being opened is alarming for us. We fear that regions including Rajshahi, Chapai Nawabganj, Pabna, Sirajganj, Kushtia, Rajbari, and Manikganj will be inundated."
R. D. Pandey, General Manager of Farakka Barrage, commented, "The Farakka Barrage authority is always on alert, monitoring the situation constantly. Due to the sudden pressure of water, all 109 gates had to be opened to avoid excessive stress on the barrage, which could have led to significant damage."
He added, "Currently, 40,000 cusecs of water are being released into the feeder canal and 1.1 million cusecs downstream."
Today, Monday, the barrage authorities noted that the water pressure is due to flooding in the neighboring states, but the relief is that no water has yet descended from the Nepalese hills.
With water levels at the Farakka Barrage rising to 77.34 meters above the danger mark, it became necessary to open the gates, increasing water flow in the feeder canal as well.
According to the latest report from the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, the ongoing floods in Bangladesh have claimed 23 lives in 11 districts, affecting over 5.5 million people. As of Sunday, the death toll was 20, with 5.2 million people affected.
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