India News | Odisha: Breach in Lift Irrigation Canal, Acres of Agricultural Land Submerged

Bhawanipatna, Jul 31 (PTI) Acres of agricultural land have been submerged following after a breach in a newly-constructed lift irrigation canal in Odisha's Kalahandi district, an official said.

The breach of around 10 feet in the left bank of the Indravati Canal occurred near Majhiguda village in Koksara block on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, he said.

There is siltation in more than 20 acres of paddy land and around 100 acres of paddy fields have been affected, he added.

The Koksara Tehsildar and his team visited the area to assess the damage.

Indravati Project Chief Construction Engineer Bibhusharan Mishra, representatives of Larsen and Toubro - the constructing agency of the lift canal system - and other officials are also at the spot to take stock of the situation.

The agreement states that the construction agency would look after the maintenance for five years, Lift Canal System Executive Engineer Kondol Rao said.

The project, inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on January 14, was constructed at an expenditure of Rs 986.71 crore.

Locals have alleged that poor construction of canal embankments and linings was the reason behind the breach.

It is targeted to benefit 88 villages in Koksara block by providing irrigation to 25,274 hectares of land during the kharif season, officials said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)