Cracks in old dam threaten lakhs in Raj, floods in WB district

JAIPUR/KOLKATA: Cracks have developed in the main wall of a 118-year-old dam in Rajasthan following heavy rains in its catchment areas, threatening lakhs of people in 39 villages of Jodhpur district and prompting authorities on Saturday to ask them to shift to safer areas.

Rain-battered West Midnapore district in West Bengal was declared floot-hit as Army units and Air Force helicopters carried out rescue and relief operations in the worst-hit areas having a population of about 7.6 lakh.

Torrential downpour submerged vast regions in Orissa's Balasore and Bhadrak districts affecting around five lakh people following heavy floods in Subarnarekha and Baitarani rivers.

The overflowing Jaswant Sagar dam suffered cracks at the bottom of the main wall causing heavy leakage, after which people of Bilara, Luni and Jodhpur tehsils were advised to move out of the possible danger zone, a Rajasthan official, overseeing the rescue operation, said.

The dam, built in 1889 by Jaswant Singh II, then ruler of Marwar, was overflowing as the rain water from different catchment areas of Merta, Ajmer and Pushkar was getting collected in it, he said.

So far there has been no loss of human life, Lohar said, observing that maintenance work was not properly conducted since the dam never received enough water. Army personnel and engineers of the irrigation department were already at the site for repairs.