Ahead of the monsoon season, the Punjab Department of Water Resources has launched an extensive drive to desilt, clean and strengthen embankments of the Ghaggar at vulnerable locations across Patiala, Mohali, Sangrur and Mansa districts.
Tenders in this regard have been floated over the past two weeks. The work has been divided into district-wise targeted zones to ensure timely completion before the onset of monsoon. The exercise is aimed at ensuring smooth passage of storm water through the Ghaggar.
Executive Engineer Akash Aggarwal said the desilting work in Patiala district would be completed by June 30. Heavy accumulation of silt at several points in the river had emerged as one of the major causes of water obstruction and backflow during periods of high discharge, especially in the monsoon, he added.
Sediment deposits create bottlenecks that increase the risk of flooding in nearby villages and agricultural fields. “The accumulation of silt affects the carrying capacity of the river and often leads to backwater effects during heavy rainfall,” the official said.
In the past, silt accumulation in the Ghaggar has also affected the functioning of 48 siphon sections constructed by the Haryana Government in the inter-connected Hansi-Butana canal. The Ghaggar passes beneath the canal through these siphons.
However, heavy silt carried by the river often chokes these siphons, obstructing the natural flow of water, resulting in backflow that submerges around 150 low-lying villages on the Punjab side, particularly in the Samana and Sanaur areas.
The Haryana Government recently initiated the cleaning of these siphons and clearing other bottlenecks in the Hansi-Butana canal.
BJP leader Preneet Kaur, who recently met Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, said residents living in low-lying areas along the Ghaggar in both Punjab and Haryana had long been demanding cleaning of the Hansi-Butana canal, desilting of the Ghaggar and strengthening of the weak embankments to prevent flooding during the monsoon.
