Ropar bundh washed away, state govt in limbo

Even as the district has remained prone to floods for the last several years, the authorities have failed to take any concrete steps to protect the lives and properties of the local residents. Several people in Anandpur Sahib lose their crops and property due to floods in the Swan and the Sutlej every year.
Ropar Deputy Commissioner PK Agrawal said there was no need to worry as the water level in the reservoirs and the rivers in the district was normal.
Even though the authorities have spent Rs 86 lakh to clear any bottlenecks in the drains, the possibility of any untoward incident could not be ruled out until concrete steps were taken to tackle floods.
A plan had already been submitted to the state government and work on it would begin as soon as the funds were released, he said.
On the other hand, damage to the bundh, built on the Sutlej near Lodhipur village in 2008-09, has caused panic among the local residents.
In August 2010, Burj, Lodhipur, Ballowal, Mataur, Mehendli Kalan, Gajpur, Chandpur, Shahpur Bela and Hariwal villages were inundated when nearly 1,000 feet of the bundh had been washed away.
The locals had suffered losses worth several crore rupees. The Deputy Chief Minister had visited the spot and had assured us of assistance but nothing has been done so far, said Hardeep Singh, panchayat member, Lodhipur village.
The Swan merges with the Sutlej in the area and the heavy flow of the water has been eroding the bundh at Lodhipur for the last three years.
“The river has washed away nearly 2,000 feet of the bundh and only a little portion of it is remaining. This is causing panic among the villagers,” said Lodhipur ex-sarpanch Gurvinder Singh Bhullar.
Ropar Drainage Department Xen Dalip Singh said the Directorate of Irrigation and Power Research, Amritsar, had conducted a survey on the behavior of the flow of the rivers and its impact in the area. On the recommendation of the survey, the department has submitted a plan to construct another bundh at Lodhipur costing Rs 13.43 crore. The work would begin as soon as the funds were provided, he said.
Bhakra dam chief engineer AK Bali said floods in the area could be controlled if the Sutlej was channelised from Ropar to Nangal dam.
The DC said all the preparations to tackle any floods in the area were complete. The control rooms had been set up at the offices of Deputy Commissioner, the SSP, tehsildars at Chamkaur Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, Nangal, BDPO and Nurpur Bedi, and District Forest Officer, Ropar, he added.

impending disaster The Swan merges with the Sutlej in the area and the heavy flow of water has eroded 2,000 ft of the bundh in last three years Nine villages in the area were flooded in August 2010 when 1,000 ft of the bundh was swept away The Deputy CM had assured of assistance in 2010 but nothing has been done so far