TEONA (Bathinda), June 3 — Freshly transplanted paddy and cotton crop in more than 2000 acres of land was destroyed when water flooded the fields following breaches in nine places in various distributaries and the Bathinda branch of the Sirhind canal passing through this district late last night.

Official sources said the breaches, which were 50 to 100 feet wide, could not be plugged as the water in these distributaries was flowing at high speed and in full volume. Irrigation Department authorities at Ropar have been asked to reduce the flow of water from the headworks.

Sources said as per preliminary reports, paddy and cotton crop had been damaged in more than 2000 acres.

Irrigation Department official who visited the sites along with labourers and villagers, could not start plugging operations as water was still gushing out of breaches.

In most of the cases the breaches occurred after the distributaries burst their banks when several trees which fell into the water in last nights heavy storm obstructed the flow of water.

Sources said breaches had occurred at spots where the distributaries were vulnerable as the brick lining had fallen in.

Irrigation officials are now attempting to protect vulnerable spots where fresh breaches could occur.

Mr D.S. Jassar, Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department, when contacted, blamed the breaches on the negligence of the Punjab forest department. He said the forest department authorities had repeatedly been urged not to plant trees along the banks of canals and irrigation minors as in case of storms these hampered the natural flow of water and caused breaches. But so far the forest department authorities had taken no action.

He said water had started receding in the Bathinda branch and other distributaries where breaches had occurred and work on plugging them was expected to start by tomorrow evening.

Mr Jassar said that they were also facing a problem as the Bir escape channel had been encroached upon and Sehna escape channel had been choked by unchecked growth of elephant grass. Due to this the water could not be released into escape channels to reduce pressure on the Bathinda branch and other distributaries could be reduced at the earliest.

He said at present 60 cusec of water was being released into the Raikot escape channel and 70 cusec into the Sehna escape channel (against its capacity of 576 cusec) and 100 cusec into the lakes of the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) of Bathinda.

On the other hand farmers whose agriculture land has been flooded said their land had become unfit for cultivation as water from distributaries also brought sand with it and a thick layer of it would cover their fields even after the water receded.

The spots where the breaches occurred include Raike Khurd, Raike Kalan, Virkkalan, Chuge Khurd, Mehma Mada, Bathinda Branch, Neor minor, Kotfatha distributary and Bathinda distributary.

The breach in the Bathinda distributary has flooded some parts of the local military station.

Mr Jassar, however, said water gushing out of Bathinda distributary was flowing towards empty land in the military station and there was no chance of any loss of crops or property.