Hilsa will be available in River Ganga once the new navigation lock at Farakka is completed
Constructed by Larsen & Toubro the lock will facilitate smooth and faster movement of vessels too
In days to come, the fish lovers, particularly the Bengalis, will be able to savor fresh Hilsa (Ilish) even in river Ganga, thanks to a unique project by Larsen & Toubro’s GeoStructures business. Fish lovers along the Ganga, up until Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj will reap the rewards of this project as it will enable the fish swim all the way from Bangladesh upstream the Ganges.
With an aim to preserve the biodiversity of the Ganges, Indian Authorities have decided to open the sluice gate at Farakka Barrage higher than the current level for four hours every day. This will help the Hilsa – one of the most popular fish – to swim from the salty waters of River Padma to the sweeter waters of River Ganga resulting in greater chances of spawning. The movement of the Hilsa fish up to Prayagraj was stopped after the construction of the Farakka Navigation lock in 1976. A new navigation lock at Farakka was announced recently which is likely to be opened from June 2021 after the completion of its construction. This will help Hilsa fish breed in the waters of the Ganges after four decades.
S.Kanappan, Head & Chief Executive - L&T Geostructure says, “We are glad that the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has entrusted L&T GeoStructure with the restoration task of constructing a new navigation lock at Farakka as a part the Jal Marg Vikas project. The company is delighted to be engaged in making difference in the environmental quality as well as cultural lives of inhabitants of river Ganga.”
The site is located at Farakka in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, on the Feeder canal of Farakka Barrage. The existing lock gate at Farakka, which has been operational since 1978, however due to its inefficiency IWAI proposed a new lock with modern state – of – art features like electrohydraulic operations of Mitre Gates, caisson gates, bulk head gates and Radial gates on filing culverts, along with a remotely controlled operation of all gates from a control room.
Work on navigational lock at Farakka barrage, 280 km upstream from Kolkata, promises a fresh lease of life for Kolkata port. The new navigational lock is being constructed by L&T and will facilitate smoother and faster dispersal of vessels. With the existing lock unable to efficiently handle the number of vessels passing through it, considerable time is taken for vessels to pass the lock. The Jal Marg Vikas project is being implemented with assistance of the World Bank for plying vessels with capacity of 1500 – 2000 tons.
Phase – I of the project covers the Haldia – Varanasi, a stretch which includes development of fairway, multi – modal terminals, strengthening of river navigation system, conservancy works, modern River Information System (RIS). Some of the salient features include a new Navigational lock of length 250 m X height 25 .15 m X width 14.14 m and guide walls of length 301 m X weight 15.14 m
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