40-feet wide breach in Kandi canal

Hoshiarpur : A 40-feet wide breach occurred in Kandi canal at Chakrota village in Garhshankar here after heavy rain on Wednesday, officials said.

No loss of any life or damage to property has been reported till now and the situation is under control, they said.

After the breach, the canal water passed through a cremation ground and some farmland, said Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal.

Mittal asked the concerned officials to plug the breach on a war footing.

Several parts of Punjab were lashed by rain on Wednesday.

Superintending Engineer of the Kandi canal circle Vijay Kumar said due to heavy rain in Garhshankar, the breach occurred in the high-filling reach of the canal in the sub-mountainous area near Chakrota.

The canal, which extends from Talwara (near Pong Dam) to Balachaur in Nawanshahr district, is about 50 feet from the ground level on the breach site.

Garhshankar Tehsildar Tapan Bhanot said water of a rivulet near Fatehpur Kothi village also entered the village resulting in the collapse of a boundary wall of a house.

The water of a seasonal rivulet near Jaijon village passed through some agriculture fields in the village.

Hoshiarpur drainage division executive engineer Sartaj Singh Randhawa said almost all the seasonal rivulets were flooded because of heavy rain.

The DC said keeping in view the rising water level in the local Bhangi rivulet, announcements were being made so that people residing in low-lying areas should move to safer places.