Fresh cracks in repaired portion of Selaulim canal
TEAM HERALD
[email protected]
SANGUEM: The repaired portion of the damaged Selaulim Canal developed fresh cracks few hours after the Water Resources Department released water supply on Saturday.
According to reports, after the department released the water supply on Saturday morning on completion of the repair work, a minor crack was seen developed to the side wall of the canal.
Sources informed that the department officials allegedly ignored the crack terming it to be normal phenomenon in any concrete structure. “The department officials at the same time directed the contractor to depute his staff to continuously spray water on the side walls of the canal to avoid any further cracks being developed,” informed a source.
However, as water continued to flow through the repaired portion of the damaged canal, the crack began to widen after few hours of water supply. The department immediately conducted a site inspection and stopped the water supply.
The cracks have now widened all the more and the damaged portion of the canal is made all the more unsafe for further use in supplying agricultural water to the affected farmers.
Sources informed that the department is now contemplating to place cement pipes all along the damaged portion of the canal to facilitate water supply to the farmers at the earliest. However, water supply is likely to remain affected on Monday.
It may be recalled that the main canal had breached at Bethmoddi-Quepem on January 23, affecting water supply to farmers having paddy fields and other agricultural plantation towards the Quepem side of the damaged canal.
The paddy fields are left dried at many places. The farmers are left a lot worried over the fresh problem occurred at the site of the damaged canal despite the contractors allocated with the repair work having worked over time in getting the canal repaired in few days time.
“If the department had waited for some more time for the cement mortar to cure before releasing the water supply, then the present problem of cracks occurring to the side walls of the repaired portion of the canal would have not arisen,” a farmer claimed.
