Farakka Barrage
In one line: The Farakka Barrage in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, diverts Ganga water into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly to keep Kolkata port navigable.
Purpose
The barrage, about 2.3 km long, sends water down a feeder canal of about 42 km into the Hooghly to flush silt from Kolkata harbour and reduce dredging. It became operational on 21 April 1975.
Why it became a dispute
India is the upper riparian and Bangladesh the lower riparian. Diverting water in the dry season leaves less for Bangladesh. An interim arrangement in 1975 and a five-year agreement in 1977 (signed by India's Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Surjit Singh Barnala and Bangladesh's Rear Admiral Musharraf Husain Khan) followed; the latter lapsed in 1982. The 1996 treaty settled the issue for 30 years.
Where to go next
- Ganga Water Treaty 1996
- Lean-season sharing formula
Farakka Barrage in the news
- Weeks before Ganga Water Treaty expires, India says Joint Rivers Commission is the forum 4 November 2026
Why India built it, and why it upset the lower riparian.
- Bihar floods despite a 27% rain deficit, and the Ganga, not Nepal, is behind it 11 September 2026
The structure at the centre of the silt debate
Previous-year questions on this
- 2023 · GS1 · 10 marks Why is the world today confronted with a crisis of availability of and access to freshwater resources?
- 2023 · GS1 · 10 marks Why is the South-West Monsoon called 'Purvaiya' (easterly) in Bhojpur Region? How has this directional seasonal wind system influenced the cultural ethos of the region?
- 2023 · GS3 · 10 marks Dam failures are always catastrophic, especially on the downstream side, resulting in a colossal loss of life and property. Analyze the various causes of dam failures. Give two examples of large dam…
- 2015 · GS1 · 12.5 marks How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanising landscape? Discuss.
- 2013 · GS2 · 10 marks The protests in Shahbag Square in Dhaka in Bangladesh reveal a fundamental split in society between the nationalists and Islamic forces. What is its significance for India?
- 2013 · GS2 · 10 marks In respect of India-Sri Lanka relations, discuss how domestic factors influence foreign policy.