Breaches in drains, rain create flood-like situation in Hisar

Most of the drains and canals are flowing above the danger mark and some of these drains have suffered breaches, inundating large tracts of agricultural land. Water has even entered residential localities in some villages.

According to reports, breaches have occurred in drains causing inundation in the fields in Kamri, Basra, Ghiray, Tokas, Patan, Matrashyam, Daulatpur, Nyoli Kalan, Shahpur and Ludas.

Sources said that out of 307 villages in the district, fields in about 180 are heavily waterlogged due to heavy rainfall coupled with breaches.

There was waterlogging on three national highways and one state highway. Now, there is a threat of inundation of the Hisar–Sadulpur railway line as well with a breach in the Ghaggar drain in the vicinity of the railway line in Gangwa village. Railway official Avinash Kumar said that around 80 workers are working round the clock to protect the track with sandbags and stones.

There are reports that the water is entering habitation area due to breaches in drains and rain as the fields are submerged. In Mirzapur village, residential areas were submerged up to four ft by today. In protest, villagers blocked the Mirzapur–Sulkhani road demanding fortification around the village to prevent water and to drain out standing water.

In Kaimri village, a breach in Ghaggar drain could not be repaired even after 40 hours as a machine got stuck in the mud and has not been removed during the repair work. About a hundred MGNREGA workers have been roped in the work to plug the breach by carrying sandbags from a km away.

Even highways remain submerged at several points in the district with the NH-52 near Sarsaud, NH-148B near Chainot, NH-9 near Mundhal and Bhaini Maharajpur, and the Hisar–Bhadra state highway near Aryanagar being flooded. Some portions of the roads have been converted into one-way routes.

Public Works Department (PWD) and Public Health Engineering Department Minister visited the Ghaggar drain to oversee the ongoing repair work. He said that the e-kshatipurti portal for crop loss has been extended to 276 villages and the portal is open now for uploading complaints of crop loss by the farmers. Already, 25,000 farmers have reported damage to 1,45,000 acres of crops in Hisar district.

The Zila Parishad also held an emergency meeting under Chairperson Sonu Sihag and approved a budget of Rs 3 crore for pumps and pipes to drain water. At Gurana, a breach in the Singhwa minor canal sent water towards Khanpur village. In Jewra village, residents dismantled a portion of the highway to redirect flow away from the highway.