Breaches in 2 canals leave hundreds of acres submerged in Fazilka district

Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, July 7

Hundreds of acres of paddy crop have got submerged following three breaches in two canals in Fazilka district.

A 25-ft wide breach was reported in the Barkatwa minor canal near Mohakam Wali village in Jalalalabad on Saturday. Pawan Kumar of Mohakam Wali village said strong current led to the breach in canal.

Kashmiri Lal, a local, said a villager also fell into the gushing water and was saved by passersby. He said the process of cleaning the canals had not been carried out properly. The villagers claimed that standing crop on 800 to 1,000 acres got damaged.

Two breaches in the Ladhuka canal near Ghubaya and Ladhuka villages inundated paddy crop on around 300 acres. Sandeep Kamboj of Ghubaya village said a breach in Ladhuka canal was reported last year as well.

Another villager, Nirmal Dhillon, said the repair work was not carried out properly.

Sarbjeet Singh, SDO, Irrigation Department, Jalalabad, said, “Due to heavy rain, farmers closed the water outlet. The volume of water increased in the canals, which resulted in breaches. All three breaches have been plugged.”