India-Pakistan tension casts shadow on Madhopur Headworks ops; non-operational, not upgraded for decades

Two of the floodgates of the headworks gave way on Wednesday, washing away a Punjab Water Resources Department chargeman and inundating scores of villages, submerging acres of agricultural land, and raising questions about the performance of the departments concerned.

Built in 1872, the 54 floodgates at Madhopur Headworks have undergone minimal upgrading. “In the era of the Green Revolution, between 1952 and 1959, the Ranjit Sagar Dam was built. However, not much attention was paid to these gates. We continued to raise the height of these gates. These floodgates at Madhopur did not witness much of operations after Partition,” a source told The Indian Express.

“These have not been operated much, as the water released through this barrage has always been under scrutiny. We were made to believe that every drop of water released from these floodgates mattered to India. It was believed that the gates would never be opened, given the tension between India and Pakistan. Hence, not much attention was paid,” the source added.

The Ravi flows into Pakistan and joins the Chenab River.

‘Their operation has been nil’

The Indian Express also learnt that these gates, which are manually operated, were not upgraded to be motorised, unlike the floodgates at Ropar Headworks. However, the gears and oil drums are regularly serviced.

“I can say that their operation has been nil. These gates were not opened at all. The water was released for irrigation in the Upper Bari Doab Canal on the Indian side only. We could never have anticipated that the Ravi would be in spate and such a huge volume of water would flow. The water from flooded Jammu, coupled with a huge amount of silt, clay and stones, choked the gates,” said a government functionary.

“It was not just silt but red clay that got stuck in the gates. It was stuck up to 8 feet high. When the team from the water works department attempted to open the gates by manually lifting the gear, two of the gates, located in the centre of the headworks, gave way, resulting in the washing away of an employee. Somehow, 60 of them were rescued.”

While the silt and stones jammed the gates, the high volume of water from the barrage spelt doom. “On Wednesday, Ravi had 4 lakh cusec water flowing when 2.15 lakh cusec was released from the dam. This became unmanageable. This kind of volume was witnessed in 1988. It was believed that such a kind of water inflow would never be witnessed in future,” said a government functionary.

However, the functionary said that the gates were maintained. “Just before the rains, the gates were checked. There was no rust. The gear system was primed. The oil drums and other movement mechanisms were in good shape. There was no issue at all.”

‘People should be hanged’

Amarjeet Singh Dulet, former chief engineer (Canals), Punjab, Thursday reacted sharply on the breaking away of the gates of Madhopur Headworks.

“This shows how much attention was paid to the maintenance of the gates. The incident throws light on the way the gates are maintained. The incident is shocking. People should be hanged. My blood is boiling,” Dulet told The Indian Express.

“In the first place, why were the gates kept closed when the inflow of water was so much? Then what is the maintenance like? Crores are spent on maintenance every year. What was being done to these gates?” he asked.

Calling it “sheer negligence”, Dulet asked, “How could the department not assess the water inflow and release the water on time? When the inflows are voluminous, then why are the gates kept closed? Accountability should be fixed for this negligence.”

Dulet said Punjab witnessed floods, similar to those in 1988, but the gates of any headworks had never broken. He said since the gates weren’t opened, the water created a creek on the side of the headworks, and it started flowing. If the rain does not stop, it will become challenging to control and could also pose a threat to the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), which was built to channel the water of the Ravi, he added.

Government sources said that the Madhopur Headworks gates would be repaired only after the water recedes.

“We cannot give any deadline. We will have to wait. Already, we have lost one person. The water above the bottom of the gates will continue to flow and enter Pakistan. Today, we are releasing 55,000 cusecs,” said a functionary.

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