Admn starts process to plug breach at Gatta Mundi Kasu

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, July 16

After plugging the main 325 feet breach at Mandala Channa here yesterday, the district administration began the process to review another 925 feet breach at Gatta Mundi Kasu.

With a view to reviewing the ongoing work to plug the second major breach at Gatta Mundi Kasu, Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal visited the Dhakka Basti site here today. The Deputy Commissioner also expressed satisfaction over the pace of work as more than 200 feet of breach had been covered.

Notably, Dhakka Basti is an arm or extension of Gatta Mundi Kasu village where the breach lies. A 300 feet long approach road to the breach is being constructed to carry out the plugging work.

Collectively, this makes the Gatta Mundi Kasu breach 1,200 feet long – one of the longest breaches in the state in the recent floods.

The Deputy Commissioner also interacted with officials and people reaching from different areas with trolleys loaded with sandbags. He asked police officials to make sure that the way of the bandh leading to the breach site should be cleared for smooth movement of trolleys and tipper bringing soil and sand.

ADC (Development) Varinder Pal Singh Bajwa, who is monitoring the entire work, apprised the DC of the work. The DC said late evening operations should be safe and secure. He assured the farmers and local residents that the gap would be covered in days to come by deputing extra teams for this purpose.

Work to be over in 7-10 days

Huge paraphernalia is involved in the plugging of the second breach as well. It involves moving of tonnes of sand and earth material daily to plug the leak in the bundh. A large number of tippers and tractor trailers are being used to shift the material to the site daily. Sandbags are being tied at 11 sites, while 30,000 to 40,000 sandbags are being used daily.

For the work on the Gatta Mundi Kasu breach, the paraphernalia will include hundreds of tippers and over 2 lakh sand bags. At least 350 to 400 workers will be working on the bundh site daily.

Once the basic structure is ready, the bundh will further be strengthened with machines, which will roll the additional soil over the bundhs and carry out soil compaction.

DC Vishesh Sarangal said: “Plugging of bundhs is being undertaken under the Drainage Department. Hundreds of volunteers worked under MP Balbir Singh Seechewal to plug breach in the first bundh. While 30,000 to 40,000 sand bags were used daily for the Mandala Channa site, we plan to increase the number of sand bags to 80,000 per day for Gatta Mundi Kasu, which is much bigger. Tippers, JCBs and trolleys will be pressed into service. Three contractors have been deputed to carry out the job. As many as 20 tippers have been deputed at each of the 11 (sack filling sites) sites to carry the sand. Work on the second bundh would be completed in around 7 to 10 days.”

Health Minister visits flood-hit areas

Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Sunday directed medical teams of the Health Department to offer healthcare services and medical check-up to people on their doorsteps in flood-hit areas across the state. The Health Minister, who went to Gidderpindi villages on Sunday morning, met medical teams deputed in the area to know about the health issues being faced by residents of the affected villages. He asked the teams, led by specialised doctors, to extend door-to-door medical assistance in the areas immediately after the water level recedes, besides utilising motorboats for medical aid in emergency cases so as to ensure requisite treatment well in time. On being asked about the extent of waterborne and vector-borne diseases, SMO in-charge Dr Davinder told the minister that so far there was no such outbreak of any disease. The situation was under control.

Admn to rope in geo expert

With Shahkot, Lohian and Gidderpindi areas proving a challenge due to repeated flooding over the years, the administration has decided to rope in a geo expert to oversee and address issue in these areas. DC Vishesh Sarnagal said a geological expert would be roped in to look into the cause of flooding in the areas which fall between the Sutlej, Chitti Bein and Beas rivers and were prone to flooding.