Canal breach inundates crops in Abohar

Our Correspondent

Abohar, July 22

A 70-ft-wide breach in the Malukpura canal inundated cotton and mustard crops and vegetables in Alamgarh village, 4 km from Abohar town, on Sunday.

Farmers Iqbal Singh, Baldev Singh, Gurjit Singh and Amritpal Singh said the breach, which appeared to be small at the initial stage, widened in a few hours. “We had informed Irrigation Department officials many a time that the sidewall of the canal developed many breaches in the past decade and needed immediate repair. However, each time the officials would reiterate that funds were earmarked, but not released by the state headquarters, they claimed.

“The problem is that breaches are plugged using sand bags and walls are not reconstructed,” they added.

Farmers in Alamgarh and neighbouring villages of Dhani Bishesharnath Vij were switching to vegetable production and the major loss on Sunday was to vegetable farmers.

“Alamgarh village is being affected by waterlogging for the past four years, but the administration has not taken effective steps to tackle it,” the farmers said.

On Sunday water was flowing in the canal at low level, which minimised the loss following the breach.

Irrigation Department Executive Engineer Mukhtiar Singh Rana claimed that the supply from headworks was curtailed. Efforts to plug the breach had been started and the work was expected to be completed by Monday afternoon.