Only a Barrage Can Save! - The Ganga: Water Use in the Indian Subcontinent - page 79

views of Mr. Obbard, the River Surveyor that between Mud Point and Kulpi, the
Hooghly became worse since 1836 and very much worse than it had been in earlier
times and that from Kulpi to Kolkata, it was neither better nor worse than it had
previously been.

View of L. F. Vernon Harcourt

L. F. Vernon Harcourt, an authority on river engineering, whom the Bengal Chamber
of Commerce assigned in 1896 a study of the condition of the Hooghly, submitted
an exhaustive report after inspecting the rivers, the feeders and the main Ganga up
to the sea, for about a month. The following is a relevant extract.

... Comparison of various charts and surveys of the river Hooghly shows that it is a fairly
stable river, undergoing considerable fluctuations in depth, at some places according to
the seasons and the volume of the freshets, but free from any general deterioration in its
condition between Calcutta and the sea. The Hooghly ... affords no indication, either in
the river, or in the estuary, or in its outlets, of progressive deterioration ... Unless some
unexpected change of the course of the Ganga should occur, so as to deprive the Nadia
rivers of their annual supply and thereby materially reduce the discharge of the Hooghly,
or unless the occurrence of some seismic, or cyclonic, disturbance should alter the existing
conditions unfavourably, there is every prospect that the Hooghly will provide in future

a considerably better waterway between Calcutta and the sea than it has done in the past

...

.
The gradually increased draft of vessels, the extending demands of sea-going trade and the
keen and growing competition of ports, have rendered very extensive improvement works,
necessary for many rivers

...

. The Hooghly is better adapted for improvement than some
rivers upon which successful works have been carried out.

...

A very careful study of all
the navigable charts indicates that the Hooghly possesses considerable natural capabilities
for navigation

...

... and that the navigable channel through the estuary ... be deepened to a

moderate extent by a powerful suction dredger

View of H. G. Reaks

In 1919, H. G. Reaks, a River Surveyor of Calcutta Port, reported that an ordinary
test of the condition of a modern navigable waterway is the limit of its capacity
for the traffic of the port. If this expands in all directions to meet the demands of
trade and particularly if difficulties have been experienced in the past, the natural
presumption is that while the river may not have been used before to its full capacity,
it cannot be said that it is deteriorating. The size and draft of vessels have been
undergoing enormous changes from the 19th century. In 1853, the largest vessel
visiting Calcutta port was 1810 tons. The size increased gradually to 2163 tons in
1860, 3128 tons in 1870, 4023 tons in 1880, 6037 tons in 1890, 7237 tons in 1900,
7705 tons in 1905, 8117 tons in 1911, 9600 tons in 1914 and 12,989 tons in 1917.
Similarly, the length of vessels increased from 368 feet in 1870, 400 feet in 1880,
422 feet in 1890, 470 feet in 1900, 501 feet in 1911 and 511 feet in 1917.
Mr. Reaks added that bigger and bigger vessels of increased drafts were visiting
Calcutta Port. Before 1830, though vessels of greater draft had, on occasions, plied