Nearly 400 acres of standing paddy crop were submerged after a breach occurred in the Lachhman Canal near Rau Ke Hithar village in the Mamdot area on Thursday, sparking anger among affected farmers who alleged that no official from the water resources department reached the site in time to prevent the damage.
The breach reportedly occurred around 8 am, after which water gushed into adjoining agricultural fields, inundating large tracts of paddy. Farmers said they had to work on their own for nearly three hours to plug the breach but by then significant damage to the crop had already been done.
Wazir Singh, one of the affected farmers, alleged that excessive water discharge into the canal caused the breach. He said the strong flow quickly spread into nearby fields, leaving farmers helpless as water continued to accumulate. He further claimed that despite repeated requests, no official from the concerned department arrived for several hours.
The incident has once again highlighted recurring breaches in the Lachhman Canal during the paddy season. Farmers said similar incidents have occurred in the past, causing heavy financial losses, but no permanent strengthening measures have been taken despite repeated complaints.
Villagers added that repairing such breaches becomes difficult unless water supply is temporarily stopped. They said they tried to contact authorities to halt the flow and begin relief work, but did not receive an immediate response.
Demanding compensation, farmers urged the government and department officials to assess the canal’s carrying capacity before releasing large volumes of water and to carry out permanent repairs to prevent future breaches.
Meanwhile, SDO Rajinder Singh said the department received information about the breach and immediately took steps to contain it. He added that work to stop erosion and restore the canal was under way.
