A 40-foot-wide breach that occurred in Upper Bari Doab Canal (UDBC) near the Sathiali headworks early this morning and inundated several adjoining villages. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Aditya Uppal supervised the work to plug the fissures.
Around 3 am, some migrant workers living nearby noticed the abruptly rising water in the agricultural fields and immediately raised an alarm. DC Uppal was informed and he, in turn, asked the water resources department officials to stop the flow of water from Madhopur headworks.
“Three JCB machines and one poclain machine have been requisitioned to plug the breach,” said the DC. “The flow of water is stopped by shutting off the water supply at the Madhopur headworks, located upstream near Pathankot. And that is what we did before starting work to plug the hole. The embankment had collapsed following which massive volumes of water rushed into adjoining villages, residential properties apart from damaging the paddy crop,” said an official.
The rising waters raised concern for farmers, particularly those who have just recently sowed the paddy crop.
Teams of the administration and water resources departments are still assessing the damage. Efforts were also made to divert the flow of water upstream.
Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said flood waters have started entering villages despite the fact that the monsoon has yet to arrive. He said, “Punjab’s canal infrastructure has started exposing years of neglect and the AAP government’s failure. Even before the monsoon has arrived, the canal at the Sathiali headworks has breached its banks, flooding nearby villages and homes. The state government must urgently repair and strengthen vulnerable canals before more farmers and villages pay the price of the ruling party’s negligence.”
