Since October 2025, four automatic barrage gates (which have been fitted with Vesconite Hilube bearings) have been operating successfully at the Bhakra weir in India, giving reliable, self-regulating control over water levels, without the need for electrical power, control systems, or constant manual oversight.
Why the gates matter to the region
The Bhakra weir, on the Bhakra River in Rampur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, feeds two major irrigation canals that agricultural communities in the region depend on for water storage and distribution.
For farming communities relying on the Bhakra irrigation canals, consistent water availability can be the difference between a good harvest and a failed one. Conventional electro-mechanical water-control systems require power supply, active monitoring, and regular maintenance, all of which can be difficult to sustain at remote or rural infrastructure sites.
The automatic gates installed at Bhakra remove much of that dependency. Designed by South African automatic water-control specialist Amanziflow Projects, and fabricated and installed in India by Universal Hydro Structures Pvt Ltd (UHPSL), the gates are engineered to respond directly to changing water levels: they open automatically to pass floodwater when levels rise, and close again as levels recede, helping maintain the weir’s required full supply level. This design, using water forces to actuate the gate, is what allows the system to function reliably with minimal intervention, even at a site where routine access may be limited.
A supporting role for the bearings
Delivering on that design depends on several mechanical components working together, including the pivot point around which each gate rotates. This is where Vesconite Hilube bearings have been fitted on all four Bhakra gates.
Because the gates operate in wet, submerged, and dry conditions alike, often in locations that are difficult to reach for lubrication or servicing, the bearing material at this pivot is one of the factors contributing to consistent gate movement over time. Vesconite Hilube was selected because it operates without external lubrication and resists the swelling that water exposure can cause in some bearing materials, helping the gate maintain the clearances it needs to rotate smoothly. Its low-friction properties support the rotational movement the gate design calls for.
In this way, the bearings play a supporting part within a system, the overall reliability of which rests primarily on the automatic gate design itself, with appropriately selected materials at the mechanical interfaces helping that design perform as intended over the long term.
A track record building across India
The Bhakra installation resulted from a partnership between UHPSL and Amanziflow Projects that began in 2019, when UHPSL sought to bring Amanziflow’s automatic spillway-gate technology to Indian rivers. Several proposals followed, culminating in the Bhakra weir project.
Having proven itself at Bhakra, the technology, along with the Vesconite Hilube bearings specified within it, is now being extended further, with Vesconite Hilube bearings having since been specified for five additional automatic gate installations across India.
A broader principle for water infrastructure
The Bhakra weir illustrates a principle with relevance well beyond this one site: as pressure on water resources grows, the infrastructure that stores, regulates, and distributes water needs to be dependable with minimal ongoing intervention. Well-designed automatic gate systems reduce reliance on external power and manual operation, while correctly specified bearing materials at their mechanical interfaces help support that reliability at the points where gates move.
