Breach in Kasur Branch Lower inundates 1K acres

Tarn Taran, June 3

A breach occurred in Kasur Branch Lower (KBL) canal passing through the area near Jandoke Sarhali village. As a result, 1,000 acres of land in Lauhuka village have been inundated.

Lakhwinder Singh, Junior Engineer, Canal Department, informed here today that the breach was noticed on Sunday and as many as 100 NREGA workers were requisitioned and rescue operations launched. Nachhattar Singh and Sukhchain Singh, president and senior vice-president of Kirti Kisan Union (KKU), said that the fields of farmers in which sowing (paneeri) of paddy, maize, green fodder, vegetable crops was to take place have been totally damaged.

Water has also entered farmhouses. The farmer leaders said breach has become routine and it has been occurring regularly for the last three years at the same spot in the canal. They said that the canal was constructed in 1962 and needed repair because the lining and embankments had become weak. Junior Engineer Lakhwinder Singh said that the flow of water had stopped and with the completion of the work, water would be released shortly. A farmer, Jatinderpal Singh of Rasulpur, said the canal was not cleaned before releasing water and the crop residue create obstacles in the flow of water which cause a breach in the canal.