Concern gripped residents of villages surrounding the Bhanupli area in Ropar district today after a portion of the Anandpur Sahib Hydel Canal started overflowing near the Bhanupli siphon.
Sources said some residents noticed water overflowing from the canal in the siphon area and alerted the authorities. Soon after receiving the information, officials from the civil wing of the PSPCL, which is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the canal system linked to hydel projects, rushed to the site to assess the situation and initiate remedial measures.
Executive Engineer of PSPCL’s civil wing, Avinash Sharma, said he was proceeding to the location to ascertain the exact cause of the overflow and to ensure necessary action.
“We are reaching the spot and will determine the reasons behind the overflow after conducting an inspection," Sharma said.
Sources familiar with the matter indicated that accumulation of trash in the canal system could have contributed to the problem. They said plastic waste and other discarded materials carried by the flowing water may have obstructed the canal near the siphon section, resulting in the overflow.
Officials of the PSPCL, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over the growing problem of solid waste being dumped into the canal. They stated that the corporation removed hundreds of tonnes of garbage and debris from the canal every month, yet indiscriminate disposal of plastic bags, bottles and other waste by people continued to pose a serious operational challenge.
“The increasing amount of trash entering the canal has become a major issue. There is a possibility that waste material accumulated near the siphon, restricting the flow of water and causing it to spill over," an official said.
Meanwhile, PSPCL officials were monitoring the situation closely and efforts were under way to ensure that the canal remained structurally safe and water flow is restored to normal without affecting downstream areas.
The Anandpur Sahib Hydel Canal is an important component of Punjab’s hydroelectric infrastructure. The canal carries water diverted from the Nangal Hydel Channel system to generate electricity.
Two major hydel power projects, each with an installed capacity of 100 megawatts (MW), have been established on the canal — one at Anandpur Sahib and the other at Nakkian. Together, these projects contribute 200 MW of renewable energy to the state’s power grid.
Apart from its role in electricity generation, the canal is a vital engineering structure that requires regular maintenance to ensure uninterrupted operations.
Officials have repeatedly appealed to the public not to dump garbage into the canal, warning that such practices can obstruct water flow, damage infrastructure and create safety hazards.
No damage to the canal structure had been reported till the filing of this report, and PSPCL teams continued their inspection and restoration work at the Bhanupli siphon site.
