Canal breach causes chaos; repair work on war footing, says Min

New Delhi: The residents of outer Delhi’s Bawana faced chaos on Thursday as water entered the streets and residential areas due to a major breach in the Munak canal sub branch (CLC) overnight.

The pictures and videos of the locals wading through waist deep water in Bawana JJ colony area, waterlogged houses, school and hospital went viral on social media even as teams of engineers from Haryana and Delhi worked on a war footing to plug the breach.

Water minister Atishi, who visited the site of canal breach, said the repair work was expected to be complete by Thursday night. Water supply of the carrier line channel (CLC) was diverted to the other sub branch of the Munak canal for the purpose of repair work.

She said after the emergency situation is handled, an inquiry will be conducted by the Irrigation departments of Delhi and Haryana into the reason behind the canal breach.

The minister said that functioning of four water treatment plants was also affected in the city due to breach in the CLC of Munak canal supplied Yamuna water from Haryana to Delhi.

The water supply to Bawana, Nangloi and Hyderpur water treatment plants was likely to normalise by Thursday evening. However, production from Dwarka plant that completely depended on CLC for water was expected to normalise by Friday evening, she said in a digital briefing.

Supply in many areas was affected due to the impact on the water treatment plants, she said.

The embankment of Munak canal’s sub branch (career line channel, CLC) breached between 12 midnight and 2 am on Thursday. This caused water from the Munak canal to enter many areas of Bawana, Atishi said.

The Munak canal that carries Yamuna water to Delhi is maintained by the Haryana government. The team of Haryana’s Irrigation department is present at the breach site since last night and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) team is also there to provide it any support needed, she said

“The repair work has started on a war footing to plug the breach. We are in regular touch with Haryana department. After the breach was reported in the CLC embankment, water released into it from Kakroi head was diverted to another sub-branch of the Munak canal,” she said. After water flow in the CLC completely stops, an embankment will be built. Then the breached portion will be repaired and the work will be completed hopefully by late night, she added.

Atishi said mobile pumps by different agencies, including MCD, PWD and DDA, were deployed to drain out the water from the inundated areas. She expected the situation would normalise soon.

Meanwhile, responding swiftly to the crisis, DDA field staff rushed to the site to initiate urgent remedial measures. Their immediate action included draining water by temporarily puncturing the existing storm water drain. This operation has been part of a coordinated effort involving several key agencies such as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Narela, Delhi Jal Board, local public representatives, and community members.

DDA has mobilised crucial resources to support relief efforts on the ground. Equipment including JCB machines for heavy lifting, dewatering pumps to manage water levels, drinking water tankers, and mobile toilets have already been deployed to the affected location. The collaborative response aims not only to alleviate immediate flooding but also to ensure the safety and welfare of residents in Bawana JJ Colony.