The new Farakka Navigational Lock was constructed under the Jal Marg Vikas Project to enable uninterrupted vessel movement along National Waterway-1 (the Ganga). The new lock dramatically reduces lockage time and is a strategic enabler for inland water transport between Haldia and Varanasi. L&T was awarded the construction order from IWAI valued at approximately Rs 359 crore.
BuildAid supported the project through specialist diagnostic, materials and NDT consultancy work on the lock structure – a heavy hydraulic concrete structure that must perform reliably under cyclic hydrostatic loading and prolonged wet exposure.
Hydraulic structures of this scale demand exceptional concrete quality, watertightness and long-term durability. The lock walls, sill, gates seating and approach structures are submerged for most of their service life, exposed to continuous abrasion from sediment-laden river water, and subject to cyclic loading from lock filling and emptying. Quality assurance of as-cast concrete and verification of construction workmanship therefore had to meet a higher standard than typical RCC work.
BuildAid’s scope included NDT-based quality verification of structural concrete (UPV, Rebound Hammer, core testing, permeability checks), durability testing including chloride and sulphate profiling, and detailed structural reviews where required. The work was carried out under the construction sequence of the EPC contractor, with reporting integrated into the project quality records.