India opens all 109 gates of Farakka Barrage, causing flood concerns

India on Monday opened all 109 gates of the Farakka Barrage, located in the Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal. The action is expected to lead to widespread flooding in the West Bengal's Murshidabad district and extensive areas of Bangladesh.

The opening of all the gates is expected to allow 1.1 million cusecs of water to flow into Bangladesh in a single day. Indian media, citing local authorities, reported that failing to release the water could have caused severe damage to the barrage, necessitating the decision to open the gates.

Alipore Meteorological Department in Kolkata had previously issued a heavy rainfall forecast for West Bengal. The forecast proved accurate, with two days of continuous heavy rain causing the water level of the Ganges River to rise and increasing pressure on the Farakka Barrage.

Shri RD Deshpande, General Manager of the Farakka Barrage, stated that flooding in Bihar and Jharkhand has led to a rise in the Ganges River water level, prompting the opening of the 109 gates at the Farakka Barrage.