40-foot canal breach in Gurdaspur floods homes and farmland, residents face heavy losses
Babushahi Bureau
Gurdaspur (Punjab), June 22, 2026: A major breach in the Upper Bari Doab (UBD) Canal near Sathiali Head Works in Punjab's Gurdaspur district triggered widespread flooding in nearby villages early Monday morning, leaving residents and farmers counting significant losses.
According to local residents, a nearly 40-foot-wide breach developed in the canal at around 3 a.m., allowing a massive volume of water to gush into adjoining residential areas and agricultural fields.
The floodwaters crossed the Sri Hargobindpur-Gurdaspur road before inundating homes and standing paddy crops.
Migrant workers staying in a canal rest house were among the first to notice the incident. They reported that water suddenly entered their rooms in the middle of the night, prompting them to rush outside, where they discovered that the canal embankment had collapsed.
The breach submerged large stretches of farmland, damaging paddy fields and raising concerns among farmers about crop losses. Several houses in the affected area were also flooded, causing extensive damage to household belongings and stored food supplies.
Affected residents, including Tarsem Singh and Surjit Singh, said wheat stocks kept for family consumption, household goods, furniture and other valuables were damaged after water entered their homes. They added that the full extent of the losses has yet to be assessed, but estimated that damages could run into several lakhs of rupees.
As news of the incident spread, a large number of villagers gathered at the site while authorities initiated efforts to contain the situation. Heavy Pokleen machines deployed by a private contractor were pressed into service to plug the breach.
However, officials involved in the operation said the continuous flow of water through the canal was making repair work challenging. Canal department officials present at the site declined to comment on the cause of the breach.
Restoration efforts were continuing at the time of filing this report, with authorities working to prevent further flooding and minimize damage to nearby villages and agricultural land.