Faridkot: Week after repair, sandbag wall along canals falls

Faridkot, May 7

Days after the Canal and Irrigation Department spent about Rs 80 lakh to plug a breach on the common service bank of Sirhind and Rajasthan feeder canals in Faridkot town, the “sandbag wall”, which was built to plug the gap, collapsed on Wednesday.

After plugging the breach in the canals, water supply was resumed in the Rajasthan feeder canal last week. But the sandbags failed to provide a safe barrier.

Ramanpreet Singh, Executive Engineer of the department, said high speed of water in the canal caused the collapse of the sandbag wall. He claimed it was the temporary repair work which failed to plug the breach properly.

However, sources in the department revealed it was due to negligence of some employees in regulating the water supply in the canal after the repair work.

Using the sandbags to plug a breach in the canals is one of the traditional ways to solve the problem. “Although this method to stop flooding has been used countless times, it is no longer the most effective solution,” said a senior officer.