Irrigation Dept staff gears up to tackle waterlogging

New monitoring system in offing

• The Irrigation Department has decided to implement the Public Works Information Management System from June 15. Under this system, every junior engineer will have to fill a measurement book online, which means the physical verification of all ongoing works will be done online every week and, that too, by uploading pictures of the site. Further, the bills have to be submitted online. KS Pannu, Secretary (Irrigation), said, “This system is being implemented to bring in more transparency.”

Secretary, Irrigation, KS Pannu (centre) and Irrigation Department officials review works in Muktsar district on Friday. Tribune photo

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Lambi, June 10

Senior officers of the Irrigation Department today claimed that they were fully prepared to tackle rains, especially in the waterlogging-affected areas of the south-western state, comprising Muktsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Faridkot districts.

The state government is spending Rs 44.83 crore for cleaning village ponds and drains in these districts.

On a two-day tour of Muktsar and Fazilka districts, KS Pannu, Secretary (Irrigation), while reviewing the cleaning work of Wahabwala Drain, said, “We are prepared to tackle rains of up to 40 mm in a day. A majority of the large drains have been cleaned and de-silted. Besides, the village ponds have been cleaned. The remaining drains will be cleaned before the first week of July. I have also directed the Chief Engineer to install lift pumps in waterlogging-prone villages and station heavy excavating machinery there to clear the blockade during the rainy days.”

He claimed that due to their immense efforts under the ‘Roko Sem’ project, the water level had also gone down to six feet in a majority of the waterlogging-affected villages. “The water which was earlier available at the depth of just one or two foot is now available at the depth of nearly six feet in Muktsar district,” claimed Pannu.

Meanwhile, PS Ghuman, Chief Engineer (Drainage), said, “The department has started the construction of a new drain named the Abohar Link Drain. It will control waterlogging in some villages of Fazilka district. Besides, the sub-surface drainage system is being laid in a number of villages. Some new drains including Arniwala Wazira, Phullukhera, Khubban, Saidanwali link drain and Abul Khurana link drain are also in the pipeline.”

Courtesy: The Tribune