Arun Kashyap/ Haridwar
The Uttar Pradesh Irrigation department has launched a major safety operation in Haridwar to protect the highway and embankments near Har Ki Paidi from the rapid erosion of the Ganga. The department is installing more than 800 tetrapods along the Ganga over a 200-meter area. Spurs and concrete blocks will also be constructed at intervals to further strengthen the embankments.
Sharing information on this initiative, the executive engineer of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation department, Vikas Tyagi said that for the past six years, Ganga had been steadily moving in this direction during floods. “The situation has become so severe that the strong current of the river could erode the highway at any time during floods. In light of this, the department decided to adopt the tetrapod technology. This technology has already been successfully tested in Sharda river, where the embankments remain intact,” he said.
Notably, tetrapods are considered an effective technique for preventing marine and river erosion. These structures were first prominently seen near the Gateway of India in Mumbai to protect against sea waves. Now, this same technology is being used to prevent erosion in Haridwar.
Tyagi further explained that the construction of ghats under the Namami Gange project had also weakened and damaged the embankments over the past six years. “This year, the situation became particularly serious, but now, with the construction of tetrapods, spurs and concrete blocks, the risk of erosion in this area will be largely eliminated,” he declared.
