Gandak Canal Dam Breaches in Manjhopur, Taraiya; Administration’s Swift Action Brings Relief
Saran (Taraiya): Panic gripped the Manjhopur area under the Taraiya block of Bihar's Saran district on Wednesday morning when a section of the Gandak canal dam suddenly collapsed. The breach in the dam, located along State Highway 104, caused water to flood hundreds of acres of agricultural land and severed the road connectivity of several villages to the main thoroughfare. However, following the report of the incident, the administration took swift action to repair the breach, bringing a sigh of relief to the local residents.
Details and Cause of the Incident
According to local villagers, a hume pipe had been installed years ago beneath the Gandak canal dam at Manjhopur to facilitate water drainage. For the past several days, water had been continuously leaking from near this pipe, gradually weakening the dam from within and hollowing it out. By Wednesday morning, the leakage intensified to such an extent that a large portion of the dam collapsed.
Due to the breach, road connectivity for several villages, including Parauna, Bhatgai, Molnapur, Tikampur, and Sangrampur, was completely disrupted. This route, passing through the Gandak canal bridge at Manjhopur, is considered a lifeline for these villages. The overflowing water also submerged the paddy seedlings in farmers' fields, causing significant distress among the local agricultural community.
Administrative Response and Repairs
Upon receiving information about the incident, local Panchayat head (Mukhiya) Om Prakash Kumar, former BDC member Nagendra Prasad, and the villagers immediately alerted the officials of the Gandak Project Department. The villagers took initial measures on their own by closing the sluice gates of the canal located approximately two kilometers from the incident site, which helped reduce the water pressure.
Following this, the Junior Engineer of the Marhaura Gandak Project arrived at the site with his team. With the help of a JCB machine, repair work was launched on a war footing to fill and reinforce the dam. According to media reports, thanks to this proactive administrative response, the dam was largely repaired by Wednesday evening, and traffic flow was successfully restored.
Villagers' Outcry and Security Arrangements
The villagers pointed out that the canal dam has been in a dilapidated state for a long time, with minor cracks appearing frequently. They argued that such incidents occur because the department fails to carry out permanent repairs in time. The residents have now demanded the strengthening and fortification of the entire dam to prevent any major catastrophe in the future.
While the administration's prompt intervention successfully averted a major disaster, the local people are still urging authorities to maintain strict vigilance regarding safety standards to ensure that such issues do not recur.
