Breach in Lotan rivulet floods Rupnagar villages

A breach in the embankment of Lotan rivulet near Gardley village on Sunday morning, following heavy rains in its catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh, has flooded hundreds of acres of agricultural land and houses in villages of Rupnagar district.

A breach in the embankment of Lotan rivulet near Gardley village on Sunday morning, following heavy rains in its catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh, has flooded hundreds of acres of agricultural land and houses in villages of Rupnagar district.

HT Image

Water from the 40 feet wide breach has caused significant damage to the standing crops in Gardley and Gazipur. The floodwater also accumulated on the adjoining National Highway as a result of which the movement of traffic on the road was affected for a few hours.

Villagers alleged that the drainage department had failed to undertake proper work for strengthening the embankment of the rivulet before the rains. Last year, too, the embankment of the Lotan rivulet had breached and affected the surrounding villages.

Upon getting the information, Rupnagar sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ravinder Kumar and police officials reached the spot to take stock of the situation.

The SDM said the breach would be plugged once the water in the rivulet receded.