Days after release of water, 50 ft breach develops in Abohar canal

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, April 26

In less than a week of restoring water supply after a month-long-closure for maintenance, about 50-foot-wide breach developed in the Malukpura distributary last night near Dhaba Kokrian village. It supplies water to various canals in the Abohar sub-division. Due to the breach, surrounding fields were inundated.

Past instances

• In December 2023, an 80-foot-wide breach in Malukpura canal near Kikkar Khera village, wreaked havoc as hundreds of acres with wheat and other crops were inundated. It took about three weeks to plug the breach
• In February 2022, a 70-foot-wide breach developed in the Malukpura minor near the Kala Tibba area, causing damage to about 400 acres of cotton fields
• A breach occurred in this canal in 2021 as well, while another one, in November 2020, damaged crops and a private school

As wheat had been harvested in a large part here, there was not much damage reported. But farmers, recalling the precedents, feared that the breach may not be plugged in the next few days and the canals emanating from the distributary will remain dry. Drinking water crisis was set to deepen.

BKU (Khosa) state secretary Gunwant Singh said that this distributary is quite old and many sub-canals receive supply from here. As and when excessive water is released in the canal, it causes breaches and the same has happened now.

He said that next crop sowing will be affected. A BKU deputation, few weeks back, had met senior officials of the Canal Department at Chandigarh and demanded the renovation of Malukpura distributary but this was not accepted, Gunwant claimed.

The farmers’ leader said that water was released after about a month of canal closure and due to the breach, orchards cannot be watered. Sowing of narma cotton will also be affected. He warned that if the dilapidated Malukpura distributary is not renovated, then BKU Khosa will be forced to protest.

Farmers recalled that in December 2023, an 80-foot-wide breach in Malukpura canal near Kikkar Khera village, wreaked havoc as hundreds of acres with wheat and other crops were inundated. The Canal Department took about three weeks to plug the breach.

In February 2022, a 70-foot-wide breach developed in the Malukpura minor near the Kala Tibba area, causing damage to about 400 acres of cotton fields. A breach occurred in this canal in 2021 as well, while another one, in November 2020, near Hanumangarh road, damaged crops and a private school as well. But the ‘farmer friendly’ state govt was not ready to renovate the distributary, a farmers’ leader alleged.  

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