Canal bank breach in Jabalpur; no casualties: Official

The right bank canal of the Bargi dam, the first reservoir built downstream of the Narmada river, developed a breach in Madhya Pradeshs Jabalpur district on Sunday, flooding nearby agricultural fields, an official said. The district administration stopped the discharge of water through the right bank canal by shutting its sluice gates as a precautionary measure, officials said.

The right bank canal of the Bargi dam, the first reservoir built downstream of the Narmada river, developed a breach in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Sunday, flooding nearby agricultural fields, an official said. The damage to the embankment near the Sagda-Jhapni village triggered panic in the affected area as water gushed into farmland. ''The breach, which occurred around 2 or 2.30 pm, has not caused any loss of human life. Water will drain out of the fields in about two hours,'' Jabalpur Collector Raghvendra Singh told PTI over the phone. The district administration stopped the discharge of water through the right bank canal by shutting its sluice gates as a precautionary measure, officials said. The collector said he has ordered an immediate survey of crop loss. ''The damage is minimal. Singh said repair work on the canal is underway on a war footing,'' he said. Rani Avanti Bai Sagar Pariyojana, commonly known as the Bargi project, is about 32 km from the district headquarters and is a major dam in Madhya Pradesh. ''The canal is very old. An estimate involving major repair work was sent to the government for sanction last March,'' the collector said. The canal runs up to the Rewa district in the Vindhya region of the state. Local farmers and villagers claimed the canal had been in poor condition for a long time, alleging that officials ignored their repeated complaints, which they said eventually led to the breach. Revenue officials, along with the executive engineer of the right bank canal and administrative and technical teams, were present at the site.

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