Ganga-Farakka Barrage Project and Rural Economy of India

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Holy Ganga. 3. Farakka Barrage and promise, potential, problem and politics. 4. Farakka Barrage Project and Indian hegemony. 5. Flood, erosion and water management. 6. Forced migration and human impact. 7. People and Ganga: a movement. 8. Tales of distress. 9. Conclusion. Annexures. Bibliography. Index.

Farakka Project was set up in 1966 mainly to project Calcutta Port and to provide rail road link to North-East India. Since Ganga flows from India to Bangladesh, Indo-Bangladesh treaty on Farakka governs flow of Ganga waters to Bangladesh.

At the planning stage, likely future negative impact due to obstruction of water flow resulting from Farakka Barrage was overlooked. As a result, extensive sedimentation in the river bed is witnessed today witness obstructs high volume of water during monsoon causing floods in agricultural and residential areas. It also causes water scarcity due to inadequate flow during dry season.

Due to hardships caused by both factors, people inhabiting areas close to Ganga are forced to migrate.

This book focuses on socio-economic conditions of migrants from Farakka to Malda and Murshidabad Districts of West Bengal and thus the book deals with promise, problems, potential and politics of Farakka Barrage Project.

This important book will be of great use to scholars and students of hydrology, rural development, disaster management and economic planning.