While no repair of the breach can be undertaken for the next few months till the water volume reduces substantially below 50,000 cusecs, the CMG in consultation with the Ganga Flood Control Commission has come up with a three-pronged strategy to divert water from the eastern embankment to the west:

• The first step is to move porcupines — massive conical concrete structures — to the breach site from wherever possible. These will be placed where the breach is to prevent any further increase in the already 1.7-km breach and also deflect the water to the western side.

• The second step involves driving metal sheet piles into the river bed near the breach site. The CMG has been informed that about 30 metric tonnes of metal sheet piles are ready for movement from Farakka. These will be used to deflect the water westwards.

• The third step is to build an 8-km long and about 6-m wide water channel so that diverted water is given a passage back to the original route.

The only physical access to the site is also blocked as a large number of people, on the Nepal side, have taken shelter on the embankment which is the highest point. This means there is no clear path to move such heavy material to the breach site.

For this purpose, the CMG was informed that work has begun on war footing to build an alternate 11-km road to the northern point of the breach on the eastern embankment to move the excavators, dig the channel and place the porcupines.

... contd.