Dhaka, Delhi to form joint team to analyze Ganga Barrage data

Bangladesh and India will form a "Joint Technical Team" to analyze all related data of proposed Ganga Barrage Project to know the exact scenario of water level in Indian side to address the neighbouring country's queries.
The total length of this barrage area is 183km; however, 52km area of the project will be jointly managed by India and Bangladesh as it falls in the Indian territory. The main barrage (2.1km) will be built at Pangsha in Rajbari district of Bangladesh, 98 kilometres downstream from the Farrakka Barrage built on the Ganga in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Water experts of Bangladesh and India have also agreed that in the minutes of this meeting, they (Indian side) will write that Bangladesh and India could jointly give their consent to construction of the Ganga Barrage, a senior official present at the meeting told the Daily Observer on Thursday.
They also agreed to conduct a "Joint Survey/Feasibility" on the Indian side of this project area and submit report to the concerned authorities (separately) within next three months.
"We could say that the meeting was successful. We need to do some survey, if we   want to take a decision of construction of the Ganga Barrage, however, it's a one step forward," a senior official of the Water Development Board  said.
Following several meetings and queries, the Indian team agreed that Ganga Barrage would be beneficial for both the countries if things take its natural course.
"Their experts raised 19 queries about the Ganga Barrage, Bangladesh invited the Indian team to physically examine the whole thing in their own way, however, following the visit and on the basis of primary data given by the Bangladesh Water Development Board, the Indian experts' team observed that Ganga Barrage Project (as per data) would not cause flooding in India. Rather it will help both the countries to continue water flow in dry season in the Branch Rivers of Ganga basin," the official said.
"Water experts of India want to know that, as the right side of Ganga mostly cover the Indian small islands, how the proposed barrage is going to affect those areas, the official said.
What will happen to Jalengi to Dhulian area and its land-water bodies, they raised question.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has already completed a feasibility study and the design for the proposed 2.1 kilometre-long dam.
According to official sources, the proposed barrage will create a reservoir, covering 62,500 acres, with a capacity of about 2,900 million cubic litres of water. The reserved water will be diverted to 26 districts through regional rivers in the southwestern area. In addition, a 100 MW hydropower plant will also be built on the barrage.
Once the barrage is built, the Ganga reservoir water will be distributed through a network of channels in the dry season to meet the water demands for irrigation, fisheries, navigation and salinity control.
The release of water from the reservoir through the river system of the Ganga dependent areas will help manage siltation problems in river channels and preserve biodiversity and forest resources in the Sundarban.
The official said that the "Bangladesh side also conveyed to the Indian side that Bangladesh's intention is to engage India in this project.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for developing Ganga Barrage on the Padma River in Bangladesh under a joint venture project between Bangladesh and India.
An eight-member technical team of engineers led by India's Central Water Commission Chief Engineer Bhupal Singh arrived Dhaka on Monday to start talk on the much awaited Ganga Barrage Project, a dream project of Bangladesh to keep the Ganga/Padma's flow normal.
The Indian technical team on Wednesday completed a two-day visit to the proposed Ganges Barrage site at Pangsha, Rajbari, main barrage area.
Thursday morning they sat for a final discussion and later paid a courtesy visit to the Water Resources Ministry and met with the Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Moshiur Rahman at Prime Minister Office.
Construction of the Ganges Barrage was due to start in 2014 for completion in 2020 at a cost of $5 billion.
An 11-member Bangladesh team of water experts led by Water Development Board Additional Director General Abdul Hai Baki accompanied the visitors.
Hai told that that the visitors were given a thorough briefing on the bar rage design and its technical details.