Emergency Repairs Underway After Munak Canal Breach Causes Major Flooding in Outer Delhi

A breach in the Munak Canal in outer Delhi led to severe flooding in Bawana, impacting water supply and requiring an urgent response from multiple agencies. Repair work is ongoing, with officials closely monitoring the situation. Emergency services and relief measures have been deployed to assist affected residents.

Water has been pumped out from the affected areas of Bawana in outer Delhi, with officials on-site to monitor the repair work on the Munak canal, local residents reported Friday.

A breach in one of the sub-branches of the Munak Canal, which supplies water from Haryana to Delhi, was reported late Wednesday night. This led to knee-deep waterlogging in several parts of Bawana and disrupted water supply in various sections of the city.

'Water has been pumped out from the colonies and repair work is currently underway, with officers on-site monitoring the situation,' Gopal Kumar, a local resident, said.

The embankment of Munak canal’s sub-branch breached between 12 midnight and 2 am on Thursday, causing water from the Munak canal to inundate areas of Bawana, water minister Atishi reported in a digital briefing on Thursday.

This breach impacted water treatment plants in Dwarka, Hyderpur, Bawana, and Nangloi. Water production from Bawana, Nangloi, and Hyderpur plants will normalize by Thursday evening, but the Dwarka plant will remain affected until Friday evening due to its reliance on CLC for water supply, she added.

'The repair work has started on a war footing to plug the breach. We are in regular contact with the Haryana department. After the breach was reported in the CLC embankment, water released into it from the Kakroi head was diverted to another sub-branch of the Munak canal,' Atishi said.

Mobile pumps by different agencies, including MCD, PWD, and DDA, have been deployed to drain water from inundated areas, she added.

Taking cognizance of the situation, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena advised the chief secretary to collaborate with Delhi ministers to restore the channel urgently.

According to an official statement from Raj Niwas, Saxena instructed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to evacuate affected residents immediately. He also directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to provide relief and rehabilitation, ensuring basic minimum services, including shelter.

Saxena further directed the Health Department to deploy medical teams to address any exigencies and medical emergencies, the statement added.