Ghaggar breaches banks at 2 places
From Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

MANDVI (Sangrur) — July 23 — Hundreds of residents of this village on the banks of the Ghaggar in Moonak subdivision of the district live with uncertainty even 50 years after migrating from Gujranwala, during partition.

"We see everything that is ours being destroyed each year but can do little to prevent it", says Buta Singh of this village while surveying a lake spread over what were once fields spread over 1000 acres of agricultural land of the village.

The village’s land and that of adjoining Banga village across the Ghaggar have been inundated by a breach in the Ghaggar embankment here last night. A fresh breach this morning inundated around one thousand acres of agricultural land of Banga village and some land of Makrod village.

The situation took a serious turn in Mandvi where floodwaters entered some houses.

The district administration has offloaded sand bags in the village and on banks of the Ghaggar and villagers are simultaneously engaged in constructing small bundhs in the periphery of the village and repairing the breaches and strengthening vulnerable points along the river.

For Buta Singh it is an endless vigil. I along with other village folk am on a constant vigil throughout the night to ensure our village at least is not flooded. We migrated from Gujranwala hoping for peace and prosperity, but have to constantly see our crops destroyed by the annual floods in the Ghaggar, he said.

Buta Singh and other villagers feel a pucca bandh on the Ghaggar is the only answer to their problem. The Ghaggar becomes a vast, uncontrolled sheet of water during the monsoons and only a pucca bundh can put a leash on it, say the villagers.

Most of the paddy crop of the villages of Mandvi, Banga and Makrod was ready for harvesting when the flood descended. Only last evening the combine harvester had gone to the fields to cut the crop, says Buta, adding a reprieve of a few days could have ensured that at least some of the village crop was harvested. Now we have to trust in fate as we have not got compensation even for last year yet and do not hope to fare better this year, says Buta.

Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Anirudh Tewari and district police chief Arpit Shukla, while on a joint visit to the area disclosed that 2,500 sandbags had been rushed to the endangered areas last night and another thousand sandbags had been despatched today. Mr Shukla said police personnel were also involved in plugging the breach at Mandvi, where work was on round the clock.

The Sangrur Deputy Commissioner said ring bundhs had been constructed around the various abadis adjoining the Ghaggar.

Existing ring bandh around various abadis and bundh on the Ghaggar from Khanauri to Rasoli, a length of 15 km, have saved flood-prone villages of Patiala district from flooding so far. Sub-Divisional Officer, Drainage B.P.S. Barar disclosed that raising of small bundhs on the Khanauri and Kaithal drains besides, cleaning of the siphon on the Ghaggar on RD 460 at Khanauri had resulted in steady clearance of the water from under the Bhakra Mainline canal.

Patiala Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh Bir, however, said a red alert sounded in seven villages of Gurunanakpura, Tejpur, Kangthala, Matauli, Sagra, Chicherwali and Rasoli was still in force as the water level at RD 460 was flowing at 452.4 feet nearly parallel to the danger mark of 753 feet. He said the situation was under constant watch with nearly one lakh cusec of water had accumulated at RD 460. He said the situation at this point was likely to improve after two days with reports of less rain in catchment areas.