chief
Prime VIP
Ferozepur, July 11
Even as huge blockage caused by hyacinths at various points in irrigation channels in major part of the Malwa region has disturbed their functioning apart from causing breaches, the Irrigation Department authorities have sent SOS messages to the state government to provide required funds to deal with the situation.
The major irrigation channels of the region, which have been adversely affected due to high concentration of the hyacinths, included Sirhind Feeder, Rajasthan Feeder, Ferozepur Feeder and Abohar canal apart from their distributaries.
The problem caused by hyacinths has reached to a point where it has caused breach in Arniwala distributary twice in the past few days and caused damage to its about 200-feet-long bank. The threat to the banks of other channels by the hyacinths is equally severe.
“Due to deposition of the hyacinths in canals, distributaries and minors of irrigation system in unprecedented large quantity this season, we have been finding it difficult to run channels according to their respective capacities, said a section of irrigation department officials.
Executive Engineer, Abohar, Ramesh Kumar Gupta said water in all channels falling in Abohar division, was flowing at 60 per cent of their capacities due to chocking of their flow by the hyacinths. Even in certain channels, the water flow had been brought down to 38 per cent of their capacities to avoid damage to their banks.
He added the villages, which were located at the tail ends of the different channels, were not getting adequate canal water for irrigating their paddy fields.
Executive Engineer, Sirhind feeder and Ferozepur Feeder canals, Prem Kumar pointed out that the situation was being kept under observation and necessary steps were being taken to keep the flow of water in these two important channels of this region intact by clearing the hyacinths fast.
“We have sent SOS message to the state government asking it to arrange required funds to use the same for clearing the hyacinths from different channels,” pointed out superintendent engineer (SE), Irrigation, Ferozepur, Baljit Singh Sandhu, who made on the spot assessment of the problem by visiting various channels today.
“We have pressed men and machines into service almost at every channel and the flow has been restricted by the hyacinths, so that problem can be stopped from taking an ugly turn,” he pointed out.
Chief engineer, irrigation, Punjab, Amarjeet Singh Dullet disclosed that after he took up this matter with deputy chief minister, Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, he (Badal) directed all Deputy Commissioners concerned to release funds at the earliest under the head of natural calamity funds to the irrigation department officials wherever required to deal with the situation.
Even as huge blockage caused by hyacinths at various points in irrigation channels in major part of the Malwa region has disturbed their functioning apart from causing breaches, the Irrigation Department authorities have sent SOS messages to the state government to provide required funds to deal with the situation.
The major irrigation channels of the region, which have been adversely affected due to high concentration of the hyacinths, included Sirhind Feeder, Rajasthan Feeder, Ferozepur Feeder and Abohar canal apart from their distributaries.
The problem caused by hyacinths has reached to a point where it has caused breach in Arniwala distributary twice in the past few days and caused damage to its about 200-feet-long bank. The threat to the banks of other channels by the hyacinths is equally severe.
“Due to deposition of the hyacinths in canals, distributaries and minors of irrigation system in unprecedented large quantity this season, we have been finding it difficult to run channels according to their respective capacities, said a section of irrigation department officials.
Executive Engineer, Abohar, Ramesh Kumar Gupta said water in all channels falling in Abohar division, was flowing at 60 per cent of their capacities due to chocking of their flow by the hyacinths. Even in certain channels, the water flow had been brought down to 38 per cent of their capacities to avoid damage to their banks.
He added the villages, which were located at the tail ends of the different channels, were not getting adequate canal water for irrigating their paddy fields.
Executive Engineer, Sirhind feeder and Ferozepur Feeder canals, Prem Kumar pointed out that the situation was being kept under observation and necessary steps were being taken to keep the flow of water in these two important channels of this region intact by clearing the hyacinths fast.
“We have sent SOS message to the state government asking it to arrange required funds to use the same for clearing the hyacinths from different channels,” pointed out superintendent engineer (SE), Irrigation, Ferozepur, Baljit Singh Sandhu, who made on the spot assessment of the problem by visiting various channels today.
“We have pressed men and machines into service almost at every channel and the flow has been restricted by the hyacinths, so that problem can be stopped from taking an ugly turn,” he pointed out.
Chief engineer, irrigation, Punjab, Amarjeet Singh Dullet disclosed that after he took up this matter with deputy chief minister, Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, he (Badal) directed all Deputy Commissioners concerned to release funds at the earliest under the head of natural calamity funds to the irrigation department officials wherever required to deal with the situation.
