What the Ministry of External Affairs of India said about the opening of the gates of Farakka Dam

India has opened 109 gates of Farakka Barrage in West Bengal's Murshidabad district due to an abnormally high water level in the Ganga in Bihar, India. This time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country gave an explanation on this matter.

A briefing on the Farakka Dam has been published on the website of the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Spokesperson of the Ministry Mr. Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen news in the media about the opening of the Farakka Barrage gate, which will cause more than 1.1 million cusecs of water to flow into the Ganga/Padma River in the normal course of the river. This is a normal thing. which is caused by increased runoff from heavy rainfall upstream.

It also said, it must be understood, that Farakka is a 'barrage' only, not a 'dam'. When the water level rises, it begins to flow. It is merely a structure to divert 40,000 cusecs of water into the Farakka canal, carefully constructed using a system of gates over the main Ganga/Padma river.

It was also informed in the briefing that according to the protocol, the information about the opening of the dam has been provided regularly and on time with the concerned Bangladeshi officials of the Joint River Commission.

Finally, we have seen fake videos, rumors and scaremongering create misunderstandings. It should be countered with proper data.

Bangladesh /MP