Indravati canal breach: Expert team begins probe

Earlier on Saturday, a team of revenue officials led by Koksara tehsildar had visited the spot to assess the damage.

BHAWANIPATNA: A day after a 10-feet breach was reported at the newly-constructed Indravati Mega Lift canal, a team of experts visited the site on Sunday to begin investigation. The breach flooded paddy crops on more than 100 acre of land in Koksara block of Kalahandi in the early hours of Saturday.

Work in progress to plug the
breach in Indravati lift canal
near Majhiguda on Sunday | Express

Engineer-in-chief of internal vigilance cell of the Water Resources department Asim Kumar Mohapatra along with director of quality control, officials of the project and representatives of the implementing agency L&T visited the spot to take stock of the situation. 

Asked, Mohapatra said soil samples have been collected for testing to ascertain the exact cause of the breach and remedial measures will be taken accordingly. “Operational defects may be one of the reasons as there seems to be a lack of coordination between the pump operators and field engineering staff. The pump was probably not stopped at the right time resulting in overflow of water in the canal which could have led to a breach at the weak point,” added Mohapatra. 

Though exact reason behind the breach is yet to be ascertained, locals attributed it to substandard construction of canal embankments and linings. The canal was in spate following incessant rains that battered the district recently.

Earlier on Saturday, a team of revenue officials led by Koksara tehsildar had visited the spot to assess the damage. The officials assured that the affected villagers will be compensated. The mega lift project, dedicated to the State by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on January 14 this year, is targeted to benefit 88 villages under the block by providing irrigation to 25,274 hectare of land during the current kharif season.