Durgapur Barrage: Stakeholders asked to 'sincerely' create infrastructure to store water to allow timely maintenance

Kolkata: All the stakeholders who are depended on Durgapur Barrage for supply of water have been asked to "sincerely" consider creating respective infrastructure to store water for at least 15 days so that timely maintenance work of the barrage can be undertaken every year by turning it completely dry.

The maintenance work at least once a year by turning the barrage dry is needed to avoid repetition of similar incidents like damage of gate number 31 two weeks ago and gate number 1 in 2017.

On Tuesday senior officers of the state Irrigation and Waterways department, which carries out maintenance of the barrage, raised the issue during the virtual meeting with top brass of all the stakeholders including Durgapur Municipal Corporation, Durgapur Steel Plant, Mejia Thermal Power Plant, the state Power

department, the state Public Health Engineering department and Urban Development and Municipal Affairs department.

Scarcity of both safe drinking water and the same for industrial use had come up as a major problem when gate number 31 had been damaged. "Keeping the situation in mind we have asked all the stakeholders to create infrastructure so that at least water required for at least 15 days can be stored in reservoirs. This time we have asked them to consider it sincerely as no step has been taken yet in this regard despite letters were given to them even after the incident in 2017. But such infrastructure is essential to tackle any emergency situation as it had cropped up when the gate number 31 was damaged," said an officer of the state Irrigation and Waterways department adding that it will also help to take steps to turn the barrage dry for maintenance work.

This is the first barrage the foundation stone of which was laid by Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy and subsequently inaugurated it in 1956. The repairing work was taken up by the state government as the initiative of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. So far six of the 35 gates of the barrage have been replaced and the work of replacing gate number 31 will commence soon. At the same time a thorough repairing work of the barrage is also going on.

The barrage also serves as a means of road connectivity between Durgapur and Bankura as this is the only bridge through which movement of all vehicles take place. Considering the increase in traffic load, a move would be taken to construct an alternate bridge across the river so that the century old structure of Durgapur Barrrage remains unaffected.

So far safety audit of 32 barrages and 30 dams in the state has been carried out. Based on the assessment, renovation of the structured is being gradually taken up.