Breach of Satluj in Tarn Taran district plugged by water resources dept in  record time: Punjab Minister

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], August 28 : Divulging details of the initiative taken during the flood in the state, Punjab Water Resources Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Monday said that the department has remained on its toes during the recent floods. All officials have been doing their duties day and night to provide all possible relief to those affected. The efficiency of the department was clearly seen during the plugging of the breach of the bandh of river Sutlej in Village Ghuram, District Tarn Taran.
"Under the Guidance of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, every possible relief is being given to the flood-affected villages," added Meet Hayer.
The minister said that a combined peak flow of 2,84,947 cusecs water, that was released from Bhakhra Dam and Pong Dam passed through Harike Headworks into River Sutlej from 12 noon on August 18 to 07:00 a.m. on August 19. This high flow persisted for 19 hours, putting immense pressure on the bandhs of the river, which were already saturated by the floods in July. On the night of the 18th and 19th the continuous high discharge started tearing off large chunks of the right Bandh of the river in Tarn Taran District.
Meet Hayer added that desperate preventive measures were taken by the local villagers, departmental staff and machinery along about 1000 feet length of the bandh, throughout the night of August 19. The department was able to save most of the bandh stretch, but when the river water started to recede at a rapid pace on the 19th afternoon, this decline in river discharge and level led to the sloughing of saturated earth of the bank and the already fragile river bandh breached.
"Restoration work started immediately and multiple teams of departments supplied earth-filled bags at the site from different districts of Punjab like Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Amritsar. A total of 2.66 lacs earth-filled bags were provided by fellow Division Offices at the Breach Site and all the officers of the department worked with team spirit and rose to the occasion in this time of emergency," said the Water Resources Minister.
"The Breach of 350 feet in length and has an average depth of about 28 feet, plugged on August 28. Materials such as empty cement bags and steel wire were provided by the department, and the social organisations chipped in with a significant component of the labour," added Hayer.