Houses teeter on the edge after flashflood, admn seeks report

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, August 12

Massive hill cutting due to flashfloods in Bhedkhud rivulet has put some houses at Luther village under Rajol gram panchayat in the Kotla area in a precarious situation.

Torrential rains during the past fortnight have been giving sleepless nights to residents. Agricultural land of a villager, Hari Singh, with stranding crop has been damaged as the rivulet has filled it with sand, gravel and stone. A footpath leading to local deity Mata Bagulamukhi, near Kotla, has also been washed away in the flashfloods.

As per information, houses of over 10 villagers are under the threat. The affected villagers stay awake at night and keep a vigil so that they can react immediately if it rains heavily.

The local gram panchayat had constructed a gabion wall and concrete retaining wall to save the village from soil erosion, but flashfloods have washed away these protective structures.

The residents who have been living under constant threat have appealed to the state government to find a permanent solution to the problem. They said the authorities should spend flood relief funds on the construction of the protection wall in Luther village.

Jawali SDM Vichtar Singh said the naib tehsildar had been directed to prepare a ground report of the affected area so that further action could be taken.

Pradhan Pushpa Devi said the gram panchayat had approved money from MNREGA funds for the construction of concrete protection wall to save Luther village. The work would start after monsoon season, she said, while admitting that the old gabion wall raised on the bank of Bherkhud the village had been washed away.