The Ganga Morphology - The Ganga: Water Use in the Indian Subcontinent - page 47

The 1961-1962 survey did not show much change from the 1956 one in the
meandering pattern. The channel was hugging the right bank up to 1.5 km above the
barrage and thereafter it swung to the left. In fact, at the barrage site, it was about
a kilometre away from the right bank. To avoid construction hazard at the earlier
location, about 1.5 km upstream, the present site was chosen, which indicated that
the river was swinging leftward, above Farakka, returning to the 1948-1949 course
but the construction of the barrage at that location might have prevented such a shift.
The barrage was constructed in 1975 over the Ganga - probably the largest such
in the world over the alluvial bed - by blocking the river in such a manner that
Nature took time to adjust. Before it, it had two meander bends between Rajmahal
and Farakka, One was intercepted by the barrage, to which the river adjusted. The
latest survey of 1993-1994 revealed that the Ganga had combined two meander
bends into one, from Rajmahal to Farakka, by keeping the deep channel on its left
bank on Malda side, by eroding the left bank. The reach near Manikchak and the
one from Panchanandapur to Farakka were severely affected for the last 20 years.
The marginal embankment near Toffi village at about 7 km above breached in 1980
and despite constructing several spurs and strengthening them by stone apron and
side-pitching with boulders in crates, the erosion was minimised but could not be
wholly stopped. It shifted downstream and the embankment near Simultala village,
at about 3 km above the barrage, was severely affected by breach in embankment in
1987. It breached nine times thereafter and gradually shifted toward the land, year
after year. The areas are inundated quite often and farmland and villages submerged.
Three to five kilometre wide and 5-7 km long land has so far gone into the river.
On the right bank, a big alluvial fan has formed and is increasing day by day. A
point-bar ( char land) has recently come up toward the right, just above the barrage
and is shrinking the right channel, which some day will jeopardise the operation
and maintenance of the barrage. Experts say, this is natural for an alluvial river but
would not have occurred if there was no barrage and adequate protective measures
were taken upstream along with this human interference by spending a little. They
were not taken because of callousness, ignorance and negligence of the government
which now spends a fortune without much benefit. Photograph 5.1 shows the type
of bank erosion near Panchanandapur on left bank in Malda district.
The banks near Manikchak and Gopalpur were also severely eroded. The
marginal embankment and the protective measures taken in 1987 were damaged,
causing widespread flood in the region. Erosion continued year after year, in var-
ious magnitudes up to 1999 and is likely to continue. Over a kilometre-wide land
for about 5 km has been washed away. Owing to procrastination by the concerned
government departments, protective measures of dubious value, as recommended
by a model study in 1992 were not implemented until the monsoon of 1996. The
measures included construction of two long spurs at Manikchak at 28 and 29 km
above Farakka, to protrude deep by over 400 m to tag to the marginal embankment.
These were to be made of crated stones, i.e., stones in a wire-net, over geo-textiles
laid over the river-bed. This was postponed for various reasons.
Thus, the Ganga above the Farakka Barrage underwent morphological changes
after it was constructed, which would continue to occur for some time yet to give