Chandigarh, May 16 – Haryana Government today clarified that no wall is being constructed along Hansi Butana multipurpose link canal as being propagated by Punjab Government fearing that it would obstruct the flow of Ghaggar River in Guhla area of Kaithal district.
Haryana Irrigation, Engineer-in-Chief, Mr Harmail Singh pointed out that Haryana Irrigation Department has been taking only protection measures by strengthening the old existing bund constructed prior to formation of Haryana in 1966 by constructing concrete sheet pile below the present ground level. Therefore, the speculation of the Punjab Government that the wall would obstruct flow of Ghaggar River in Guhla area was baseless and held no ground.The concrete sheet pile being constructed below ground level aimed at preventing breach of the bund through ‘ghurloos’ (flow of water through piping action in the bund).
Mr Harmail Singh made it clear that the construction of sheet pile has nothing to do with the Hansi Butana multipurpose link canal as it is merely the strengthening of age old existing bund. He said that this strengthening has been necessitated as during the last monsoon season, the bund had breached due to ghurloos and caused damage to property.
While referring to news items appearing in a section of the press recently reflecting apprehension of Punjab that Haryana was constructing a wall, he said that the Punjab Irrigation Department had been trying to weaken Haryana’s case of Hansi Butana link canal by making such baseless charges in media.
He said that although the siphon of Hansi Butana link canal has carrying capacity of 1.62 lakh cusecs of water and it has a tendency of self cleaning at flood discharge, yet steps are being taken to desilt it. He added that as per available record of last 50 years, only one lakh cusecs of water has passed through it in the year 1993. During last year, this flow was only 64,000 cusecs. He also pointed out that a section of the press had wrongly reported the capacity of this siphon as 15,000 cusecs.