Along the Bhagirathi: Farakka to Murshidabad

Friday, 20 February 2015

First on the schedule today was to go through the lock at Farakka. The ship was lowered about 2.5 meters to match the level in the channel that will take us to the Bhagirathi River.

Entering the lock.

Leaving the lock.

Photography while in the lock is strictly prohibited. Soldiers were videotaping the entire time, getting photos of the entire crew and passengers.

Below the Farakka Barrage, the river changes in character. It is navigable by large ships, so there is more industry along the banks. The area is also noticeably more populated. We were now passing large ships and many more ferries and small watercraft.

The channel that connects to the Bhagirathi River below the Farakka Barrage. Haze and smoke fill the atmosphere.

A common kingfisher maintains a vigil atop a channel marker.

This part of the river is navigable by large ships, and coal was transported by barge to a number of power plants along the way.

As smokestacks go, these were not putting out as much pollution as most. Even so, the center stack was clearly emitting brown smoke, and the other two were putting out white smoke (not steam). The general haze and murkiness of the atmosphere obscures the emissions.

A sharp, eroded corner on the bank as we round a bend.

Villages were now much more commonly seen along the river.

Ferries crossing the river. The only "propulsion" was hand-pulling along the ropes. They had to let the ropes go slack and sink to the bottom so that we could proceed across their path.

These ingeniously designed boats were very common. They are fashioned out of a single piece of corrugated metal and paddled like a canoe. Most often they were used as fishing boats.