A canal breach in Haryana’s Karnal district has placed hundreds at risk, unleashing panic among people as it flooded nearby villages. The boundary of the canal near Gharonda broke in the wee hours of Sunday, flooding the village. Local authorities started rescue and relief operations even as water levels continued to rise, flooding poultry farms and agricultural fields nearby, especially Ranwar village.
Senior administration officials including DC Nishant Kumar Yadav and Gharonda MLA Harvinder Kalyan are helping in evacuation efforts as the water entered other villages like Uncha Samna, Sheikh Pura and Jansowari.
The irrigation department has been trying to block the inflow of water and repair the boundary with sand bags. JCBs are also being used to make sand barriers but to no avail as the breach has expanded to 50 meters.
Locals were seen leaving their homes, carrying their belongings including air coolers installed outside the houses.
“I woke up hearing screams around 4.30 am today and found that my entire house was filled with knee deep water and it was continuously rising. My water cooler installed outside the window was floating. I took my children and ran out. The entire village was flooded and water is still coming in,” said Phoolchand, resident of Ranwar village.
“I live in Gharonda and got to know about the flood around 7 in the morning. I own a poultry farm in the area and many chicken have died and equipment has suffered losses. We are desperately trying to save whatever we can. The coronavirus pandemic have already hit our earnings and now this will leave us penniless. We don’t know how will we survive,” said local poultry farm owner Daulat Dhingra.
The residents alleged that they had long been facing the threat of a breach and had informed the irrigation department about it. But the complaints were never taken seriously. Now, with increased inflow of water, the boundaries have collapsed. Residents have demanded strict action against officials of the department for alleged carelessness.
“We are currently busy in relief and evacuation, not just the houses, but even poultry farms in the area are also being evacuated. Once we manage to ensure safety of people, we will investigate the folly and take strict action,” Gharonda MLA Kalyan told THE WEEK.
