Bathinda: For the second time in the last five days, a breach occurred in the Bhikhi distributary near Bhikhi town in Mansa district, submerging more than 100 acres of paddy fields and low-lying areas. A bridge is being built near Bhikhi over the distributary, and a sewerage pipeline is being laid under the distributary at the spot where the breach occurred for the second time in five days.The breach reportedly resulted from soil erosion near the bridge.The first breach occurred on June 13. The water resources department started the work to plug the breach, and repairs took four days. The water was released on Thursday after carrying out the necessary repairs. However, within a few hours, a breach occurred at the same spot.The locals assembled near the breach site and held a protest against the water resources department and the state government. They said the department took the repair work casually, due to which the breach reoccurred.Farmer Mohinder Singh faced a double whammy. He not only lost the newly transplanted crop but also suffered damage to his house. “I have lost the crop, and cracks have also developed in my house due to the breach,” he said.Gursagar Singh Chahal, executive engineer, Punjab water resources department, said some leakage had taken place in the lining due to the breach, and repairs were underway. He denied any laxity or casual approach in the repair works.
