Embankment breach near Ahali, Seechewal calls for support

As flood waters in Punjab begin to recede, Rajya Sabha member and environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal has urged villagers to come together to repair a major breach in an embankment near Ahali Kalan and Ahali Khurd.

Visiting the affected areas on a boat through submerged paddy fields, Sant Seechewal convened a joint meeting with residents to plan the repair work. Despite earlier efforts, the temporary embankment gave way when water in the Beas river surged past two lakh cusecs.

Arrangements are now being made to plug the breach in the coming days. Volunteers from across Punjab are sending tractors loaded with soil and empty sacks to the site. Large amounts of iron wire and diesel are also required for the construction, and Sant Seechewal has appealed for generous public donations.

Praising the resilience of villagers who fought to save the embankment until the last moment, he emphasised the need for unity. “All problems can be solved if we stand together. The first step is the solidarity of our villages,” he said.

On crop losses, Sant Seechewal noted that while paddy fields were devastated across the Mand area, standing sugarcane crops had largely survived. He encouraged farmers to consider crop diversification towards sugarcane to reduce vulnerability to floods in the future.

Meanwhile, the Sutlej river, though significantly reduced in volume, continues to erode temporary embankments. During a visit to Baupur and nearby Chak Wadala village, it was observed that sections of the embankment had been heavily damaged by the

current.