Lok Sabha Question No. 2984 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-05
Subject: Dredging Work in Ganga River
Ministry: PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
Asked by: Prasun Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING  AND WATERWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUEST1ON NO. 2984

TO BE ANSWERED ON sTH AUGUST, 2021

## DREDGING  WORK IN GANGA  RIVER

## 2984. SHRI PRASUN BANERJEE:

Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING  AND WATERWAYS  be pleased  to state: qnq,  +d cf{{6i  3It{ qdcld  d-fi

- (a) whether the Government  has started dredging  work in Ganga  river and if so' the details thereof,  Phase-wise;
- /h\ whether  the Government  is aware of piles of sands in the lower deltaic  parl of \v' G;;;;;;; *"irata  po't to aav of Bensal and if so' the status thereof: and
- (c) the action  taken by the Government  to stop erosion along the banks  of Ganga riverfromfloodandremoveturbidityforsmoothtransportationofshipsand vessel?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPTNG AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA  SONOWAL)

(a) lnland Waterways  Authority  of lndia  (lWAl) has undertaken  implementation  of the lJr  rril"rg Vir""  p.iect  (.rf'lvPi for capacity  augmentation  of navigation on National w"t"*iv  I iNw-ri  on ih" Huldiu  -  varanasi ltretctr of Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River  System  with the technical and financial assistance  of the World Bank Under ,lr,rrip -Jn,"n"n"" dredging works  have been started in Farakka-Kahalgaon  stretch (146 Kms), Sultanganj-Mahendrapur stretcfr  (74 kms) and MahendrapurBarh  stretch ;rl"  *r"1'flri"rst'-  Performance  Based Assured Depth Dredging contracts  The ionrrr"i.  *"r"  iwarded  on 09 04 2018' 12042019  and 12 04 2019 at costs  of Rs' iiz.oo 159.30 crore and 182 9 crore respectively'

"to,", Syama Prasad  Mookerjee Port' Kolkata (SMPK) situated on the bank of river Hoog;;i;ii"n  is a aistrilutary  or riveiGangal'  undertakes  maintenance  dredsing  in its .n'oi'"i in"i*' Atom  Sandheads  i e mouih of the riverl leading to Haldia and Kolkata ;';Hr,;; manner, since  tne cnanner  is subiect to  perennial siltalion  from  upland discharge.  Haldia Channel requlres  dredging  io the extent.of  about  10 million cubic meters  per annum whereas, rorrata  cnaniet-requires  dredging  to the tune of about I mitlion cubic meters Per  annum'

(b) Piles of sands/  bars exist in the shipping channel  leading to Kolkala  and Haldia' wnlcn are monitored  through hydrographic survey  Dredging  is carried oul' whenever required,  to maintain navigability

To carry out a study on dynamic  nature of the channel  in the tower  deltaic  region of river  Hooghiy  (which is a distributary  ot river Ganga)'  Ministry  has set up a centre  of Excellence,tttT-t.,t"d,u.inthenameof,,NationalTechnologyCentreforPorts' Wu1"*rV" & Coasts (NTcPWc)" to act as a technology  arm of MoPSW for the pripo"" Lt ptorioing  technological  support  services to the  ports etc ' through  scientilic ,"sear"h, *ith reference to a variety of problems being faced  by the ports. since then. NTCPWC,  llT-Madras has been carrying out intensive  monitoring studies  through mathematicat modeling for long & short term dredging  projects in the shipping  channel' Further,  SMPK  has its own Hydrographic  wing to study the Hooghly river in a regular rnrnn",  fro,  Nabdwip  to Sandheads  SMPK'S Marine and Hydraulic  Study O"punr"*.  regulady study the hydrographic  charts,  plans and share the same  with ttiCpWC for scientific analysis.  Through continuous maintenance  dredging, the annual average  draft of Haldia channel has increased from 7 5 m to 8 2 m'

(c) Flood management  being under the  purview of the States'  the schemes for flood control  and erosion control are formulated and implemented by concerned  states as per ,n"i,  prioriry.  The  Union  Government  supplements  the efforts  of the States by  providing technical  guidance and  promotional  financial  assistance  for management of flood in critical  areas.

Within the  port limit, SMPK undertakes  Bank Protection Works  (including  river regulatory  measures) in the areas where  erosion of river bank affect navigability  of "ffiping ct annet, subject to availability  of internal resources'  Bank Protection works n""" U""n carried out by lWAl in various  Terminal locations  namely'  Multi-Modal ierminat  (MMT)  Varanasi,  MMT Sahibganj,  lnter-Lodal Terminal  (lMT) Kalughat  and New Navigation  Lock at Farakka  under JMVP