Explained: Why Ghaggar overtops its banks often

As is two tributaries — Tangri and Markanda — were also in spate, they could not accommodate Ghaggar’s water.

The second major reason behind the overflow has been improper cleaning of its drains, tributaries and the river itself, which created hindrances in water flow.

“We asked state officials to give JCB machines to us and we will clean it but they did not listen to us,” said BKU Dakaunda, general secretary, Jagmohan Singh.

Experts say that heavy rains scattered over the catchment area do not create any problem, but it is a cause of worry when entire catchment area of the river gets heavy rain.

What it the current level of Ghaggar?

It crossed the danger level, which is 748.5 feet, and touched the level of 750.7 feet recently. Currently, the river is flowing at 745.6 feet, which is around three-feet below the danger mark. During the 1998 spill, it had touched the level of 755.7 feet and then in 2010 it reached to 753 feet. It had crossed the danger mark in 1993 too. It inundates fields of several villages in Sangrur and Patiala districts every second year or so.

What is the Ghaggar’s course?

The river is quite erratic in its nature and often changes its route. Experts said that it behaves like as per the ‘Act of God’.

Ghaggar originates from Dagshai village in Himachal’s Solan district and flows through Haryana, Punjab, and then ends in Rajasthan. The river and its tributaries — Markanda and Tangri — pass from Kalka, Panchkula, Ambala, Kaithal, (in Haryana) and then enters Punjab’s Patiala, Sangrur districts. It goes to Sirsa in Haryana and again comes back near Sardulgarh in Punjab and then enters Hanuman Garh district of Rajasthan. It is around 470 km long. In Punjab, now people have started calling it river of sorrow while called it is called ‘dead river’ in Rajasthan.

Why are the worst hit districts?

Punjab’s Sangrur and Patiala are the worst affected districts. Bhuner Heri block, Badshahpur, Patran in Patiala and Moonak in Sangrur are the worst hit because of the natural course of the river and its narrowness at several places passing from Patiala and Sangrur.

Rajpura and Deraa Bassi, which are located before Patiala, of Punjab were not affected much because of its wideness there. Experts said that Haryana’s side is also a little up than Punjab from Hansi Bhutana canal side. It may affect Sirsa and Fatehabad in Haryana because of which Haryana did not allow channelisation of river towards Sirsa.

According to experts, wild vegetation, Hyacinth, coming from Haryana side led to further blocking of already blocked drains in Punjab and also resulted in waterlogging all around.

How can Ghaggar be tamed?

A senior officer in Punjab Water Resources Department said that it cannot be tamed unless a master plan of entire river is not made. He said that some protection is possible after its proper channelisation from Punjab to Haryana and than too if rainfall is normal .

Punjab Officials blamed Haryana for not cleaning the river and its tributaries, while Haryana officials levelled the same charge against Punjab. Punjab says that it can be tamed if Haryana completes channelisation of around 40 km area out of which 22.5 km from Khanauri to Makror Sahib in Punjab is complete and only 17.5 km in Haryana is left. Haryana argues that this channelisation will create flood like situation in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts.

“In 2010, when Punjab has completed channelisation in its area, both our districts saw worst floods and then we got stopped further construction of it,” said a senior officer in Haryana Drainage Department, adding that now matter is pending with Central Water Commission (CWC) which has asked both the states to get a study done by Water and Poer Research Station (CWPRS), Pune.

He also said that after government work on Ghaggar, Punjab farmers had further raised embankments made by the Punjab government on both the sides of the river by up to five feet high which was against the original conditions of the channelisation.

Farmers and experts say that if proper bundhs are installed along the river and ring bundhs are made in the villages which are prone to flooding then damage from overtopping can be prevented. They argue that apart from hydel projects along the course, widening of river was required near Banur bridge in Patiala and Jakhal Railway junction in Fatehabad.

A project proposal for various works to be executed on river Ghaggar in Punjab for Rs 428.27 crore is already under consideration.