Rising level of Ghaggar alarms Sirsa residents

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, July 11

Due to the recent spells of rain across North India, the Ghaggar river has started to swell. As of Thursday, water in the river had stirred up concern among villagers in Sirsa owing to the incomplete preparations and weak embankments made by the administration.

Recent rains have weakened several embankments, which the locals have had to get repaired themselves, especially in the Rori area. Additionally, the cleaning of the troublesome Rangoi drain, which caused many problems last year, has just begun on which the district administration is spending Rs 1 crore.

Last year, on July 21, floods affected around 49 villages in the district. Despite this, the Irrigation Department has failed to strengthen embankments along the Ghaggar.

In contrast, Punjab has strengthened embankments along its rivers and placed over 15,000 soil-filled bags in Bhundar village to prepare for potential flooding. Sirsa’s administration remains lax in comparison. Last week, Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala visited flood-affected villages. Officials of the Irrigation Department informed him that they had no budget for flood management, as it was the duty of the Panchayati Raj Department to ensure that proper measures were undertaken. The minister instructed village sarpanches to use their budgets for flood prevention.

In Rori too, sandbags were placed, but rain has washed away the soil in these, leaving these half-filled. However, a few villagers were also happy in the hope of the river water benefiting nearby fields.

On Thursday, Deputy Commissioner RK Singh advised sarpanches to prepare for floods based on past experiences and coordinate with village secretaries and patwaris. A meeting was held with local officials to discuss flood-prevention measures.