A cascade of barrages has been built on the Mississippi River in the 1930s in the United States to enable shipping.However, many negative impacts of that project have become known and there is even a call for “letting the river go its own way.”The National Waterway-1 is being planned along the lines of the Mississippi Waterway in the US. We must learn form that experience.
Environmental Effect of Barrage to Mississippi River
The US Government Accountability Office has said that “Actions Are Needed to Help Resolve Environmental and Flooding Concerns about the Use of River Training Structures” Report regarding USGAO is attached here(page 17, para 1-2). The USACE, which maintains the barrages, assesses the hydrologic impacts but not the environmental impacts of the barrages on the Mississippi. This means that the environmental aspects of the barrage system have not been taken on board. The Report says “Researchers have highlighted two key areas of concern with river training structures—degradation of river habitat and increased flooding” Similarly these are precisely the major impacts of Farakka Barrage that are noticed in India.
A study by USACE pointed out that the ecosystem of the Illinois River, which is a tributary of the Mississippi, collapsed in 1950s. Many plant, duck and fish populations declined very quickly. Similar collapse of the Mississippi is feared.
The report by John Tibbetts (environment health perspect) states that “By 2050, if nothing is done to stop this process, the state could lose another 700 square miles, and one-third of 1930s coastal Louisiana will have vanished. Importantly, New Orleans and surrounding areas will become ever more vulnerable to future storms.” Report is avilable here(Page 1, Para 3)
Economics of the Waterway
A Report by Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy says that transport of cargo by barrages on the Mississippi waterway is economical only because it is not taxed while user fees are charged from rail and road transport.Report is attached here.(Page 2,Para 3) The proposed waterway on the Ganga is similarly likely to be uneconomical. Our situation is likely to be worse. The Mississippi Waterway is used to transport bulk agricultural exports from upstream states to the coastal ports for exports. The Ganga Basin does not have such export-oriented bulk commodities. The Ganga Waterway will be mainly used for transport of imported coal. This will be small in quantity to make the Waterway economically viable.
There is a tendency among engineers to make big structures. This does not mean that these structures will be sustainable or viable. USACE has made a mistake in making bigger structures on the Mississippi. Report by Reggie McLeod is attached here(Page 1, Para 2)
For the time being the GOI has decided not to make barrages between Varanasi and Haldia for the waterway. However, barrages may be made between Allahabad and Varanasi. In any event, the impact of the waterway due to dredging and plying of large ships will be similar to that which has taken place on Mississippi. We must learn from their mistake and not follow that path which will generate problems for us.
Therefore it is our request to Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi that we must learn from Mississippi and scrap the uneconomical project of NW-1.
