India
has opened 109 gates of the Farakka Barrage due to flooding in Bihar and
Jharkhand. The gates were opened today (Monday, August 26), allowing 1.1
million cusecs of water to flow into Bangladesh in a single day. The release of
water has raised concerns of flooding in Bangladesh and Murshidabad district of
West Bengal. However, Indian authorities have claimed that they have been
providing Bangladesh with prior information about the flood situation and the
surge of water from the mountains.
On
Monday, the barrage authorities stated that the rising water pressure, caused
by flooding in the neighboring states, forced them to open the gates. Water in
the Farakka Barrage area is currently flowing 77.34 meters above the danger
level, compelling the authorities to take this step.