Panic in Faridkot villages as Indira canal overflows

The feeder canal,constructed to convert Thar desert into an arable land,is a lifeline for Rajasthan. Though it also runs through Haryana and Punjab,maintenance of the entire canal is taken care of by the Rajasthan government. In Punjab,the feeder covers a huge part of Faridkot and Muktsar districts. Hundreds of villages in Faridkot are situated on the banks of this canal.

The canal that has a capacity of 1,300 cusecs of water is carrying 9,000 cusecs at present,it is learnt. Chief Engineer Anil Sood said: “We have found that the banks of this canal have gone weak at some places. We had repaired this canal recently,but it is very difficult to maintain the feeder in good condition because farmers whose fields are near this feeder have dug up the banks to install water motors.”

Sood added: “We had brought in one lakh bags of sand to strengthen the banks where needed. But the sand we had put on the banks has been taken away by villagers. Hence,while we have no control over the rains,we can do little to maintain the banks. Patrolling the entire feeder is not an easy task.”

A few villagers,meanwhile,claimed that though the canal was repaired every year,the job carried out by the contractors of Punjab and Rajasthan was never satisfactory. “The banks become fragile every monsoon,and when the canal starts overflowing,the fear of floods looms large,” said one of them.