Photo courtesy of Concrete and Earthquake Engineering Foundation, India
| The Farakka Barrage was built to divert up to 40,000 cu ft/s (1,100 m3/s) of water from the Ganges River into the Hooghly River during the dry season, from January to June, in order to flush out the accumulating silt which in the 1950s and 1960s was a problem at the Port of Kolkata (Calcutta) on the Hooghly River. Operations began on April 21, 1975. The Farakka Barrage is about 2,240 metres (7,350 ft) long. The flow is alternated at 10 weekly intervals between India and Bangladesh. |
Our disembarkation point is just short of the Farakka Barrage
He is leading his cow across the canal
The standard home-made galavanised iron boat
The staff put on a party for our last night on the Bengal Ganga
The staff show us how to make traditional hot air balloons
Waiting at Farakka train station
The train for Kolkata is arriving