Riverbanks being strengthened, coordination in focus as flood preparations underway

With monsoon season ahead, the district administrations of southern Malwa districts of Moga and Mansa have already started taking measures to prevent floods. Last year, the raging Ghaggar river wreaked havoc in a significant area of Mansa district with half a dozen breaches over 100 feet wide. In Moga district, a vast area was flooded in the Dharamkot sub-division due to the overflowing Sutlej.

The underground pipelines installed by the farmers on the riverbeds for irrigation were a big challenge for the administration as they resulted in breaches at multiple locations. Experts had blamed the delay in cleaning of drains as a major reason behind beaches in Mansa. The process to clean the drains has not started yet.

Due to the issue of territorial jurisdiction between Punjab and Haryana, a 250-foot wide breach in Ghaggar at Chandpura Bundh was not plugged even after four days despite the Army unit being on the spot. This resulted in the floodwater entering more villages of the Budhlada subdivision.

Mansa deputy commissioner Paramvir Singh said, “There was a delay last year due to some issues. We will coordinate with Haryana officials in advance so there is no delay in flood-related works.”

The DC said a flood management plan has been prepared. “ ₹7 crore has been spent on strengthening of riverbanks at vulnerable spots and other measures. This year, we are going to station government-owned poclain machines at vulnerable spots. Moreover, work worth ₹4 crore has been done under the MGNREGA,” he said.

In Moga, an inter-district plan has been prepared according to which the district administration is in contact with the Ludhiana administration to prevent water from entering the Siddhwan Bet area in Ludhiana district and also coordinating with Jalandhar officials to ensure the river path remains clear.

The Moga administration has inspected the dhussi bandh of the Sutlej river in the district. The breach last year in dhussi embankment had wreaked havoc in Jalandhar district.

During an inspection in some areas falling under Ludhiana district, Moga DC Kulwant Singh found that the embankment area in Ludhiana was very low. He informed the Ludhiana DC about it, urging to raise the embankment before the flood season.

The Moga DC said that strengthening the embankments of the Sutlej in Moga would eliminate the threat of flooding in this area. “However, it has been observed that the embankment of the river from the Siddhwan Bet (Ludhiana) side is low and needs to be raised immediately. If these embankments break, water can reach Moga city. Therefore, continuous contact is being maintained with the Ludhiana administration,” he said.

He said that the construction of the L5 embankment between the villages of Kamalke and Sherpur Taiba and the Giddarpindi embankment between the villages of Bhaini and Sanghera is set to start. “The tenders have been floated and work will start soon. The cleaning work on four drains in the district has been completed while the work on two drains is ongoing,” he added.

The DC has ordered Moga officials to monitor the dhussi embankment continuously to prevent any damage during the rainy season.