Canal breach inundates wheat, mustard fields in Sirsa village

A minor irrigation canal near Gudia Khera village in Haryana’s Sirsa district burst on Tuesday, flooding nearby farmland and sending water into a village middle school. Water from the breach, around 20-feet wide, spread quickly into surrounding fields, submerging hundreds of acres of standing wheat and mustard crops. Later, water also entered a nearby middle school campus.

Villagers said leakage from the canal near Nirban village had started during the night. By early morning, the crack widened and the canal fully gave way. Farmers noticed the problem when they saw water rushing into their fields at dawn.

Farmers said water had been released into the canal on Monday after several days. A breach occurred in canal soon after the water supply was resumed, they said.

Water damaged crops in some fields. Some other farmers suffered because their fields did not receive irrigation water during scheduled turn. Farmers said this would lead to heavy losses and could also affect crop growth in the future.

According to villagers, canal water flooded fields belonging to several farmers and also covered village common land. Water also spread over two to three acres of vacant land inside the middle school premises, villagers said.

The Irrigation and Water Resources Department was informed, villagers said. “Officials are expected to shut the canal from upstream and begin repair work to plug the breach,” they said.

The school is currently closed for holidays and is due to reopen in two days. Villagers said water may not dry up quickly due to cold weather and lack of sunlight, which could create problems for students when their classes resume.