Punjab News Soil erosion by sutlej poses threat to villages

Lily

B.R
Staff member
Ferozepur June 30:

The residents of various villages located on the left bank of the Sutlej in the district are in a state of fear as the river water, though flowing at a low level, has started eroding the soil aggressively. The natives of Kutabdin, Nihala Lavera, Dhira Ghara and Kale Ke Hithar villages have been spending sleepless nights for the past few days.

They rue that if corrective measures were not taken by the state government immediately, they would become landless as a large chunk of the land would be eroded within a few days. Sukhpal Singh Nannu, Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS), who visited the affected villages, said continuous erosion of land in these villages would merge the main Sutlej with its creek and then the water would start hitting Dhussi bundh on the left side of the river.

Nannu said that continuous erosion of the land had also started posing a threat to the dwellings of the residents of these four villages. He said at Kutabdin village, the distance between the bank of the Sutlej and the dwellings had reduced to a few dozen yards due to soil erosion. He said he would take up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon for the release of adequate funds so that studs could be set up at vulnerable points to check soil erosion immediately.

Sanjeev Gupta, Executive Engineer, Drainage, who also took a round of these villages, said soil erosion was a natural phenomenon whenever the water flowed at a low level in the Sutlej. He said so far the situation was under control. The erosion would come to an end when the water level in the Sutlej increases. Gupta said that erosion had also been taking place as there was heavy deposit of silt towards the right bank of the Sutlej and hence, the water was hitting the river’s left bank. He said about 50,000 empty bags were required to erect studs at vulnerable points. He said he would take up the matter with the deputy commissioner to get funds for constructing the studs.

 
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