BAHAWALNAGAR: A 100-foot-wide breach occurred at 6R Canal in Faqirwali due to collapse of the wall distributing its water, making it the second breach in this canal in 24 hours.

A wall at Head 37,000 collapsed due to extreme water pressure creating a 100-foot-wide breach at the canal. The collapsed wall had been built to distribute water to two adjacent canals. A 40-foot breach had occurred in the same canal on Monday.

The adjacent 1L canal was closed for plugging but due to the excessive water pressure, the situation worsened and the wall collapsed creating another major breach. The released water submerged several hundred acres. A railway crossing, graveyard, outhouses and poultry farms as well as standing crops were affected severely.

A breach at the 6R Canal had first occurred on Aug 9, the night when the sub-engineer concerned was transferred from here.

An irrigation official on the condition of anonymity said that breach was a reaction to Sub-Engineer Ubaidullah’s transfer and his lobby was allegedly responsible for it.

Another breach occurred in the same canal on Sept 23. Then, in the last 24 hours, two breaches occurred again. Damage assessment was yet to be estimated.

Faqirwali Sub-Divisional Officer Nawaz Bajwa declared it a “miscreant act”. He said the frequent breaches at the canal were the result of clashes between two sub-engineers assigned to the area. He further claimed incumbent Sub-Engineer Abid Warraich had been suspended by the irrigation authorities on Saturday and his lobby had caused the last two breaches to create problems for his replacement.

Bajwa further said maintenance of 6R Canal was the responsibility of the local farmers organisation that had been given the responsibility and huge funds by the Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority. But the organisation remained indifferent to people’s miseries. It would often aid water theft due to which it would not reach the tail ends. He added people were suffering due to the alleged lobbying of sub-engineers with farmers organisations.

Meanwhile, the affected people demanded relief and asked for postponement in their debt payments.

KILLED: An outlaw was killed and another injured in an alleged encounter on Monday night in Chishtian, police claimed.

Police said four armed men were robbing a grocery store at Fawara Chowk, Chishtian. A neighbor of the shopkeeper alerted police on the 15 helpline. As soon as a police team rushed to the spot, the suspects started firing. An additional police squad was called in and the exchange of firing continued for two hours.

The suspects were attempting to escape when one of them, Asif alias Baghi, was accidently shot dead by his accomplice. Another outlaw Shabbir sustained injuries. The remaining two managed to escape.

Police said the suspects were members of the Baghi gang that had robbed local traders several times during the last few months. They also said it was an inter-district gang and had committed 14 robberies in Burewala, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar. Body of the deceased was handed over to his family, the injured was being treated at the THQ Hospital.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2014