Haryana: Breach in Aaverdhan canal, village flooded

BY: Amit Kumar
KARNAL: Residential areas and large tracts of land, mostly fodder crop fields, were flooded in Ranwar village of Karnal district following a breach in the Aaverdhan canal in the wee hours of Sunday.
The district administration, with the help of locals and Dera Sacha Sauda volunteers, was trying to plug the breach to prevent submerging of nearby areas when the reports last came in.
As per information, a fivefeet-wide breach occurred around 3.30am on Sunday and widened to almost 25 feet by the afternoon. Poultry farms and pig farms got submerged, and some pigs reportedly died in the flood water. The villagers were forced to shift their belongings to the rooftop and other higher places.
They alleged that the canal banks had developed several weak patches over the years, but the authorities concerned did not take the matter seriously.
Farmers are now demanding compensation for the loss of fodder they have suffered due to this breach. “We have suffered huge losses due to breach. The government should compensate,” said a farmer. Bimla Devi, a resident of the village, said, “By the time we got up in the morning, water had filled the courtyard and also entered our houses.”
Gharaunda MLA Harvinder Kalyan and deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, along with the other officials, reached the spot and took stock of the situation.
The DC said, “The breach is almost plugged and the level of water in the canal has also come down as we got the supply of water stopped from Yamunanagar. The situation is under control now. Water entered a third of the village area, but now, it has been diverted to the drain number one. Medical facilities and 5,000 food packets have been rushed to the village. We have installed high mask light in the village as power supply has been discontinued as a precautionary measure.”
Teams from irrigation department, revenue department and police are monitoring the situation, and compensation would be provided as per individual losses, the DC said.