BARGARH: A piping occurred on the earthen bed of Bargarh Main Canal, originating from the right dyke of Hirakud Dam, on Wednesday.
The internal erosion was detected on the upstream of an aqueduct over Girishol river near Deogaon village under Bargarh block. Due to the piping, water of the canal entered Girishol which flows under the aqueduct.
Villagers first noticed the erosion on the canal bed in the morning and informed the officials of the Water Resources department.
Subsequently, executive engineer of Bargarh Canal Division Raj Kishore Ghadei and his Barpali counterpart Prabhat Rath rushed to the spot.
Ghadei said the release of water into Bargarh Canal from Hirakud Dam has been stopped completely to carry out repair work. Once the water level decreases, the repair work will start. It will take around 24 hours to repair the piping, he said.
Currently, there is not much requirement of canal water for paddy cultivation as the plants are in ripening stage.
Hence, farmers will not face any problem if the water is stopped for a few hours. Normalcy will be restored by Thursday evening, he said. Ghadei said the reason behind the piping is yet to be ascertained. The exact cause will be known after the water level in the canal is brought down completely.