Soil erosion triggers fear of canal breach in Fatehgarh Sahib

Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, January 11

Residents of Sehajadpur village and nearby villages in the district have expressed fear of a breach in the Bhakra canal main line following erosion of soil under sandbags placed by the Irrigation Department sometime ago.

Repair work to be carried out in March

Soil erosion is taking place due to fast water current. Repair work will be carried out once the flow of water is halted in March. Hakam Singh, XEN

A large number of residents today gathered at the damaged section along the canal and informed the higher officials. Later, a team of the department comprising XEN Hakam Singh and SDO Gursharan Singh took stock of the situation. The residents said cracks had appeared on the bank earlier and the department had plugged these by placing sandbags to prevent further erosion. However, soil under the sacks was continuously eroding, increasing the chances of a breach.

They said besides the adjoining villages, the canal water might enter Mandi Gobindgarh town, impacting both life and property.

They claimed the department officials were not paying heed to their concerns by not taking the threat seriously. They demanded immediate halt of water supply to the canal to repair the affected section.

The XEN said soil erosion was taking place due to the fast water current. Sandbags had been placed at the affected spot and all other precautions were being taken, he said. A similar situation had occurred at the same spot in October 2019, but necessary repair work was carried out and more sacks were placed there.

He added repair work would be initiated after the flow of water in the canal is halted in March. He assured the residents of constant monitoring of the affected section.