Canal breaches again in Sirsa

The Baruwali Canal, passing through Nathusari Chopta in Sirsa district, has once again breached near Dhookra village, creating a 30 ft wide breach. As a result, nearby farmlands were flooded and dozens of villages have been left without irrigation and drinking water.

The canal breach has disrupted water supply to several villages, including Jamal, Kutiana, Barasari, Raipur, Roopawas, Dhookra, and Gudia Khera. These areas depend heavily on the canal for both irrigation and drinking water. Villagers, already facing a drinking water crisis for the past two months, now see no relief in sight.

Residents like Kalu Ram, Mangeram Birda, Kalu Ram Dhaka, Gulzari Kumhar, Moman Ram, Bhal Singh, Shubhkaran, Rajendra, and Omprakash Suthar said water had just reached the canal on Monday morning, but by the afternoon it suddenly broke. With the canal now damaged, both farming and drinking water needs could not be fulfilled.

Officials have decided to shut off the water supply from the canal’s rear side and repair the breach, a process expected to take three to four days. Until then, water flow will remain completely suspended.

Farmers from villages such as Makhosarani, Darba Kalan, and Rupana Khurd who were scheduled to receive irrigation water will now miss their turn. “Every time it’s our turn to get water, the canal breaks,” said farmers Vedpal, Rajaram, Satpal, Rohtas, and Rakesh Kumar. They added that the canal was usually shut down after the damage, repairs were made and then water was released again. During this entire process, their fields remained dry.

The canal damage has also halted cotton sowing in the region. The farmers worry that continued breaches in the canal were affecting crop production year after year. They blamed the Irrigation Department for negligence and said it was the farmers who were paying the price.

With no immediate solution in sight, both drinking water and irrigation problems in the area were expected to worsen, highlighting the urgent need for better canal maintenance and long-term solutions.