Masani barrage
Masani barrage, also Masani bridge, a barrage on the seasonal Sahibi River completed in 1989, is named after the Masani village in Rewari District of Haryana in India. Masani barrage also serves as a bridge on NH 919. Water storage in the barrage was made perennial in 2017 after a gap of 50 years. This barrage is important part of ecological corridor along the route of Sahibi river which traverses from Aravalli Range in Rajasthan to Yamuna via Matanhail forest, Chhuchhakwas-Godhari, Khaparwas Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, Outfall Drain Number 8 and 6, Sarbashirpur, Sultanpur National Park, Basai and The Lost Lake.
Location and transport
Masani barrage is also used as the bridge on National highway NH 919 which merges with national highway NH 48 at this barrage. Union govt announced the plan to four-lane the Masani barrage road.Background
Etymology
.Masani barrage is named after the Masani village in Rewari District of Haryana in India. Masani village itself is named after the Masani Devi, which itself is an avatar of Hindu deity Shakti Devi - a universal divine creative feminine power.
History
Barrage was built in 1989. on the seasonal Sahibi River which is 120 km long and flows from Aravalli hills in Rajasthan to South Haryana and Delhi. After Sahibi river caused floods in 1977, then Prime Minister Morarji Desai mandated a flood control and water utilization master plan for the Sahibi river basin, consequently under which construction on Masani barrage commenced in February 1979 and completed in 1989.Barrage
Technical details
It lies in the Indian seismic zone IV. It has 18 gates/bays to release water. 18 km barrage wall built at the cost of INR 50 crore has to resorvior to hold water.Irrigation and flood control
Barrage was built to provide irrigation facilities to 50,000 acres in Haryana, and flood protection to 1.60 lakh acres in Haryana and 40,000 acres in Delhi.Wildlife
Fauna
Masani barrage wetland is spread over Dungerwas, Kharkhara and Nikhri villages. Over 20,000 migratory birds of 50 species from Siberia, Russia, Mongolia, Alaska and other parts of the United States are found at the barrage during the winter. Their number is rising since there is favourable habitat and easy availability of food. Bird species found here are wagtails, common teal, pintail, northern shoveller, garganey, eurasian coot, redshank, common sandpiper, ruff, wood sandpiper, marsh sandpiper, stint, kentish plover, greater sand plover, little ringed plover, white-tailed lapwing, greater flamingo, common pochard, ferruginous pochard, gulls and pied avocet. The pacific golden plover, rare a rare bird species from Western Alaska, has also been spotted. Over 4,000 migratory birds have been spotted at Bawal HSIDC wetland between Toyota Gosei Minda factory and Baba Pachpir Temple in the east HSIIDC Estate in Bawal, which is 15 km northeast from Masani barrage.The tourism potential can be enhanced if the boating and food court are opened at Masani barrage.
Golden Triangle ecotourism
Since Masani falls on the Golden Triangle tourist circuit, a large number of international and domestic tourist pass through via the national highway connecting Delhi-Agra to Jaipur and Bikaner-Jaisalmer, this is continuously being improved as a major tourist stop. Lakes here have boating, nature's trail, herbal and eco park, resthouse and lodging, food court and restroom facilities. A zoo is also under development in 2018–19.The tourism potential can be enhanced if the boating and food court are opened.
Masani barrage wetland
The "Golden Jubli lakes and nature park" is located immediately upstream of the barrage. Two lakes, at Masani barrage flood gates and next to Nikhri village, within immediate upstream catchment of the barrage were dugout, rejuvenated and made perennial using the water from the Lal Bahadur Shastri channel of Jawahar Lal Nehru Canal from Western Yamuna Canal. Boating facilities have been made available at these lakes. Of the planned 18 km nature's trail along its bank under development, 6 km have been readied already by August 2018. The lakes are an important feeding and breeding ground for large number of migratory birds who arrive here every year.Rajiv Gandhi Herbal Park and Nature Camp
This is located immediately downstream of the barrage, on the right side i.e. east flank of the barrage water/flood gates. Rajiv Gandhi Herbal Park and Nature Camp, Masani, was set up on floodplain of Masani barrage in 2011 by Haryana government to promote ecotourism. It entails a herbal conservation park, ayurveda center, wetlands and children park set up by the Forests Department, Haryana. Haryana Tourism has also made log huts accommodation, tree houses, nature trails and dining facilities. Haryana Forest Development Corporation is building an adventure tourism centre, with a one km long ropeway, on 45 acres of land at Masani barrage.Ecological concerns
1970s-80s plans to recharge the subsoil water vanished with the continual reduction in rainfall and construction of several dams over the Sahibi river in Rajasthan, resulting in basin of the Masani Barrage remaining dry since the late 1980s.Entire 100 km stretch of Sahibi river and its streams in Haryana are ecologically dead. Gurugram also dumps polluted discharge in the riverbed of Sahibi.