Action sought over canal breach

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) again breached for the third time at Khayara Scape at Jumma Head due to the alleged substandard construction work on the water supply mega channel in Dera Ismail Khan on Monday.

The local residents and farmers filled the breach on a self-help basis during which an excavator was washed away by gushing water.The farmers said that the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) had prepared a feasibility report for the reconstruction of the canal affected by the 2022 floods. They said that later tenders were floated for the reconstruction of the canal.

The farmers said that after completion of reconstruction, water was released to the canal but it again breached due to the alleged substandard material used in the repair.An excavator was also swept away in the canal water when the farmers were repairing the breach on a self-help basis.

The repair work was later halted.The growers asked the relevant departments to take action against the contractor for the substandard construction work on the CRBC, which had breached for the third time in less than a year.The CRBC project was of vital importance in making the province self-sufficient in agriculture production and grains.