Photo Source; Babushahi Bureau
Canal breach destroys over 300 acres of crops in Punjab; farmers demand compensation
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, June 21, 2025 — A major breach in a canal in a village under the Sunam sub-division has wreaked havoc on agriculture in the region. The 40-foot-wide breach has led to severe flooding, damaging more than 300 acres of paddy and maize crops, triggering strong political backlash and urgent demands for government intervention.
Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, sharply criticized the Aam Aadmi Party-led government, accusing it of failing to assist villagers in repairing the breach.
According to reports, local residents are struggling to plug the breach themselves, without any official support. Even basic resources like empty sandbags were not provided to the villagers who are toiling relentlessly on the ground.
Bajwa called for immediate compensation for affected farmers and slammed the state for ignoring critical canal maintenance work.
“Once again, the government has neglected strengthening the canal banks. This breach is proof that no lessons were learned from the devastating floods of 2023,” he said.
He also highlighted that farmers had repeatedly warned officials about the fragile state of canal embankments, but their pleas went unheard. “This is not the first breach. A similar one occurred last year, yet no serious action was taken,” Bajwa added.
Accusing the administration of negligence, he demanded adequate compensation for the crop loss and urged the government to support replantation efforts, especially by providing assistance for paddy sapling transplantation.
With the monsoon approaching, Bajwa warned of potential flood threats along the Ghaggar River, stating that residents in flood-prone areas are living in fear due to the lack of preventive measures.He held the state government accountable for not acting in time to avert future disasters.