40-ft wide breach in Kandi canal after heavy rain in Punjab’s Garhshankar

A breach occurred in the Kandi canal in Garhshankar, Punjab due to heavy rain. No loss of life or property damage reported. Flood protection work underway.

A 40-foot wide breach occurred in the 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 added. A team of district administration including Kandi Canal officials visited the site and started flood protection work.

No loss of any life or damage to property has been reported till now and the situation is under control, they added. A team of district administration including Kandi Canal officials visited the site and started flood protection work.

After the breach, the canal water passed through a cremation ground and some farmland, said Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal, adding, the concerned officials have been asked to plug the breach on a war footing.

Superintending engineer of the Kandi canal circle Vijay Kumar said 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.

Meanwhile, heavy rain lashed the Hoshiarpur district on Wednesday throwing normal life out of gear. An average of 44 mm of rainfall was reported in the morning and a maximum of 96 mm in the Hoshiarpur sub-division. Low-lying areas were inundated. A huge tree fell on Chandigarh road near Baddoan, disrupting traffic on the state highway for nearly an hour. A car was washed away in the Mehngrowal choe (rivulet). Flooding of ‘choes’ led to marooning of village roads and farmlands at many places in the district. The district administration made a public announcement cautioning people against venturing into the water.

Rainwater entered houses in Premgarh, Hari Nagar, Krishna Nagar and several other low-lying localities of the city. Shops were also inundated near the clock tower and Kotwali Bazar exposing municipal authorities’ tall claims of having cleaned all drains before the start of Monsoon.

(With inputs from PTI)