The approach to the Farakka barrage: Gate of uncertainty. Picture by Surojit Roy

Malda, Jan. 8: The spectre of an imminent diasater looms large following certain technical snags in two lock gates — nos. 100 and 101 — of the Farakka barrage.

The malfunctioning has resulted in the formation of a crater — around 22 ft wide and 200 ft deep — beneath the two gates.

Senior engineers fear that if the problem persists, then it may inundate the barrage’s downstream structures.

U.N. Ghani, general manager, Farakka barrage, however, ruled out any threat perception, adding that it was not a matter of concern. “The channel was formed when the lock gates were pulled out of the water about six months ago for painting,” he added.

Though Ghani ruled out the accident threat, senior engineers expressed grave doubts about the safety measures. “The threat is particularly high in most of the 109 lock gates, which usually remain closed for the better part of the year, unless there is an emergency,” said the engineers.

The crisis came to light when a few senior Lock Gate Regulatory Authority (LGRA) officials from New Delhi visited Farakka last month. Alarmed at the “poor state of affairs”, they submitted a detailed report to the Union ministry of water resources, outlining the problems of the barrage.

The visiting LGRA officials were shaken after they spoke to a cross-section of the barrage staff.

According to most of the senior Farakka staff, the gate operations system had worsened since last year.

Executive engineer K.B. Singh, whom the staff blamed for the poor working condition, told The Telegraph that it was not possible for the barrage authorities to tackle the flow of the Ganga.

“At times, the river flows on the right and and at others it flows on the left, compounding our problems,” Singh said, adding that he did not wish to discuss the reasons for the formation of the channel beneath the two sluice gates.

The CPM-affiliated Farakka Coordination Committee leader, Prashanta Chakraborty, has taken strong exception to the “apathetic attitude of the barrage authorities”.

“The safety of the barrage is at stake because of the Centre’s inconsistent policies. There are only two executive engineers to look after the entire barrage,” he alleged.