No help, villagers plug canal breach

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Mansa, November 22

Wheat crop spread over 100 acres was submerged following a breach in an adjoining canal in the district’s Bhamma village in the wee hours of today. Till evening, the Irrigation Department had not taken any step to plug the breach.

Farmers waited till afternoon for the department to take action. When no help came, they took it upon themselves to plug the breach.

Farmer Gurchet Singh, whose 20 acres has been submerged, said: “The department’s plan to clean the canal has remained on papers. The growth of weed hindered the flow of water, resulting in the breach.”

Another farmer Leela Singh said that often farmers of adjoining villages cleaned the canal. He demanded compensation for the loss.

Irrigation Department SDO Raj Kumar Verma said increase in the water level in the canal led to the breach. “As soon as we got to know about the breach, we shut down water supply. A team has been called to plug the breach,” he claimed and added the department cleaned all canals regularly.

Wheat crop destroyed in Abohar

Abohar: A breach in the Jandwala minor submerged wheat crop and kinnow orchard spread over 30 acres on Wednesday. Patrewala villagers said they informed the Irrigation Department after noticing water gushing through the 25-ft-wide breach. Junior engineer Devi Lal got the water supply stopped from the headworks and arranged labourers to plug the breach. He said farmers had plugged outlets as their fields no more needed canal water. This triggered the breach due to overflowing of the canal. OC