Incomplete water channel leaves villagers high and dry

Residents of around 50 villages in this district for the past three weeks have been left in the lurch with a breach in the water channel that supplies water to these villages for drinking and irrigation purposes.

Residents of around 50 villages in this district for the past three weeks have been left in the lurch with a breach in the water channel that supplies water to these villages for drinking and irrigation purposes.

HT Image

Around three weeks ago, a breach in the Uddat branch occurred near Bhamma Kalan village in Sardulgarh, leaving the villagers with no water available for irrigation and drinking.

Most villagers have been relying on the groundwater that has already been declared unfit for drinking. According to the reports of the Central Groundwater Board, the water here is polluted and unfit for drinking as it contains high content of arsenic and fluoride.

Water works in many villages are supplying the groundwater while farmers have no water to irrigate their fields. The officials of the irrigation department have been given the duties for panchayat elections as a result of which the construction work has come to a halt.

Speaking to HT, Sukhjeet Singh Neena Chahal, a villager, said, "The Uddat branch that supplies canal water has been broken at Pamma Kalan. The officials claim they have no funds for construction and cite the lack of labour when we ask them about the reasons for the delay.

Sub-divisional officer Manjit Singh said, "The construction work will be completed in a day or two. We are busy in election duties but the work is on and will be completed soon. Only some villages have been affected. There is a substitute channel that provides water for irrigation."