Admn on toes to safeguard Malwa's vital drainage network amid flood risks

An extensive network of drains, passing through the Ludhiana and Malerkotla districts of the Malwa region, has been essential in rainwater and floodwater management. These drains have served as efficient shock absorbers in the face of potential flood risks in the past years.

Upper Lasara Drain, Kairon Drain, Kotla Lasara, BBK Drain, Jagera Link Drain and Latala Drain are among the prominent frameworks of the drainage system here.

However, there are some drains which have now become non-existent due to encroachments by influential landlords during the past decades. Comprehending the importance of these drains, passing through Khanna, Payal, Jagera in Ludhiana district and Amargarh, Ahmedgarh, Rurki, Kup Kalan and Bagrian in Malerkotla, the administration is keeping a close watch on the level of water in these drains and probable blockades in the smooth flow of excessive rain or floodwater.

Malerkotla Deputy Commissioner Viraj S Tidke said separate teams of technical personnel had been working under the supervision of their respective Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) to keep the drains free from blockades. Separate meetings of civic bodies officials and block development offices were conducted to review the progress of cleaning of drains and preparedness to deal with breaches, if any.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Sukhpreet Singh Sidhu and Assistant Commissioner Gurmit Bansal said extensive patrolling was being conducted regularly so that rapid reaction teams could handle any unforeseen situation. Discrepancies observed during the patrolling were being removed, said Sidhu and Bansal.

While no overflowing was reported at any of the drains, rainwater had inundated some link roads and entered paddy fields in a few areas. Remedial steps were being taken to handle the situation, said the authorities concerned.

Officials also revealed that the condition of some of the drains was not up to the mark and the banks of these were also eroded to a varying extent. Besides taking proactive measures to handle any adverse situation, the authorities concerned have launched coordinated movements to spread awareness about the need of preparedness to tackle any unforeseen overflow of water from the water bodies in the region.

SDMS at Ahmedgarh, Payal and Raikot also claimed that they had been keeping a close watch on preventive measures for checking the overflow of water in canals and drains in their respective jurisdiction.

Investigations further revealed that some of the drains and tributaries, which normally remained dry, required intensive cleaning to avoid overflowing in monsoon. Rachhin Drain in Raikot subdivision and Lasara Drain were cited among those where water overflowed every year. Saraud, Ranwan, Badshahpur (Mandiala), Bhurthala Mander, Moranwali and Lasoi villages were cited among the localities where water entered low-lying fields during heavy downpour.