As mercury rises, canal deaths in Fatehabad district trigger concern

With the rising temperatures, children and youngsters in Fatehabad district are increasingly turning to canals to cool off. But what seems like relief sometimes ends in tragedy.

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Despite repeated warnings and official bans, swimming in canals remains a dangerous and persistent practice in Tohana and surrounding areas — one that continues to claim several young lives every year.

On Tuesday, a heart-wrenching incident highlighted the crisis once again: a polytechnic student drowned in the Bhakra canal near Dhani Gopal village.

In response, Fatehabad Superintendent of Police Siddhant Jain issued a renewed advisory, appealing to the public to strictly avoid bathing in canals, ponds or any unsafe water bodies.

“A single moment of carelessness can leave a family in lifelong pain,” he said, urging parents to monitor their children closely and keep them away from hazardous areas.

Adding to the concerns, there is a near-total absence of trained government divers in the district.

In emergencies, the lack of professional rescuers makes it nearly impossible to save drowning victims in time.

Without proper equipment or personnel, rescue efforts rely heavily on local volunteers, who are often powerless in the face of such emergencies.

One such group is Tohana-based social worker Navjot Singh Dhillon’s Sahara Rescue Team.

Despite their tireless efforts, they are constrained by a lack of resources. Without proper diving tools, the team must wait for bodies to float to the surface before they can retrieve them, a grim reality that leaves families devastated and volunteers helpless.

“When a body comes up, we retrieve it and take it to the morgue with the help of the local police,” said Dhillon. “Every time, we are left thinking of how a life could have been saved with the availability of trained divers and proper equipment.”

Area resident Rohtash Kumar said these repeated tragedies raised difficult but necessary questions.

“Why aren’t divers appointed before the summers begin? Why isn’t there consistent police patrol or enforcement around known danger zones? And most importantly, why do these deaths continue year after year, without any meaningful change?” he said.

Ashok Sharma, another resident, said, since children were beginning their summer break, the need for awareness, supervision and swift administrative action was more urgent than ever.

If timely steps were not taken, the season meant for joy could bring sorrow to many more families, Sharma added.