Ludhiana villagers race against time to reinforce bundh along Sutlej

A large number of villagers on Saturday turned up to help government agencies construct a temporary ring bundh to reinforce the earthen dyke left weakened by the swollen Sutlej near Sasrali Colony here.

This comes a day after the district administration asked those living in areas close to Sasrali Colony to shift to safer places, fearing that the dhussi bundh (earthen embankment) may collapse anytime, inundating close to a dozen villages.

Earlier, strong Sutlej currents had eroded soil from the dhussi bundh, leaving it vulnerable to breach at several places. Meanwhile, despite repeated requests to move to safer locations, villagers chose to stay put and extend all possible help to government agencies. The work on the ring embankment continued on a war-footing even as incessant rain triggered panic among local residents.

According to officials, iron nets filled with wooden logs, stones and sandbags would be placed along the river to reinforce the earthen dyke so that the river water did not enter the villages. Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain said the situation in Sasrali Colony was under control for now.

He said intensive efforts to reinforce the dhussi dundh were underway, with round-the-clock operations involving the district administration, Army and National Disaster Response Force.

In a video message, Jain encouraged people to contribute by providing labour, soil or plastic gunny bags directly at the site if they wished to assist the administration in bolstering defences along the river. He also urged residents to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information and rely solely on updates from the adminitration.Jain was seen working alongside the teams, lifting sandbags near the bundh.

Sarpanch Surinder Singh Namdhari said due to incessant rain, the work on the strengthening the embankment was hampered as trucks and trolleys carrying stones, sand and other material could not reach the site.

“We appeal to the government to ensure that no water is released from the Bhakra Dam for next two to three days,” said Sarwan Singh, a local resident.