Sangrur: A nearly 50-foot breach in an irrigation canal between Ugrahan and Nilowal villages in Sangrur district inundated standing paddy fields on Thursday morning before being temporarily plugged by officials and local farmers.




Sunam SDM Gagandeep Singh confirmed that permanent plugging operations will begin on Friday, stating that while water entered a few acres near the site, it had not significantly damaged crops elsewhere.




Farmers disputed the official assessment, claiming that hundreds of acres of mature paddy—just 15 to 20 days away from harvest—were submerged, with two to three feet of silt and sand blanketing the fields.




The breach began developing between 7am and 8am and expanded rapidly under heavy water discharge. Villagers alleged that 200 to 400 feet of concrete lining collapsed due to administrative neglect and lack of timely maintenance.




Locals mobilised tractor-trolleys and sandbags to stem the flow. Affected farmer Jagtar Singh (64) noted that the canal was concretised around 1986-87 and began deteriorating within five to seven years, alleging that repeated warnings to reinforce vulnerable stretches were ignored.




Irrigation department SDO Aryan stated that field teams arrived around 9.30am to assist villagers with earthmovers and materials. “Our junior engineers and executive engineers are on the spot. We are providing JCB earthmovers, sandbags, and all necessary materials, and our workforce is actively assisting the villagers in plugging the breach,” he said.




The official added that a proposal for full canal reconstruction is currently awaiting Centre’s clearance for commencement next year, while a separate patch-repair estimate has been sent to the chief engineer. Naib tehsildar Ritu Kapoor said that official crop loss assessments will be submitted to the deputy commissioner for compensation once floodwaters recede.