Part of dhussi bundh erodes; flood threat back in Ludhiana

Harshraj Singh
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 21

A major portion of the dhussi bundh of the Sutlej was damaged at Garhi Fazal near Mattewara village of Ludhiana district in the wee hours of Wednesday, posing a threat of floods in nearby areas yet again.

Around 60-ft-long part of the bundh along with a large portion of berm (area along the river bank) were washed away in the river. But a small portion of the bundh survived due to which the water could not enter the villages and floods were averted.

The villagers claimed that the sarpanch of Garhi Fazal saw the damaged portion of the bundh in the wee hours and raised an alarm. When announcements about the damaged bundh were made in the gurdwaras of nearby villages around 4 am, over 400 residents rushed to the site and made efforts to protect the remaining portion.

Trees were axed and then placed in front of the bundh to avoid further damage. Some villagers also reached the site with tractors and other machines to help strengthen the bundh. The administration also rushed big machines at the site.

Meanwhile, later in the afternoon, around 20-ft-long portion of the berm also got washed away. It is the same area, where a portion of land had eroded on Tuesday too.

The villagers claimed that the flood threat was still looming as soil was getting eroded, but the authorities claimed the situation was under control.

According to Drainage Department officials, the water flow was recorded at 80,000 cusecs on Wednesday.

Special Chief Secretary-cum-Financial Commissioner KBS Sidhu on Wednesday visited the site where the breach was about to occur in the Sutlej. He reviewed the flood control arrangements and issued necessary instructions to the administration regarding the relief work being done.

Sidhu said Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh immediately released a financial aid of Rs 2 crore for flood protection works to the superintendent engineers of the Water Resources Department so that no problems were faced during relief measures.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said we got the information about the chances of a breach in the bundh on Tuesday night, after which the district administration immediately started the relief work with the help of locals. The administration is trying to strengthen the bundh with trees and sandbags, he added.

20-ft land too washed away 

On Wednesday afternoon, around 20-ft-long portion of the berm (area along the dhussi bundh) also got washed away. It is the same area, where a portion of land had eroded on Tuesday too. 

Special Chief Secy visits bundh site

• Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu on Wednesday visited the site where the breach in the Sutlej was about to occur
• He reviewed the flood control arrangements and issued necessary instructions to the authorities on the relief work being done
• Sidhu said the Chief Minister has released a financial aid of Rs 2 crore for carrying out flood protection works without any obstruction