Embankment breach at Kadarpur check dam floods Aravalli villages

Officials said the breach occurred between 5pm and 5.30pm when the reservoir, already filled due to continuous rainfall, began overflowing.

The embankment of a decades-old check dam in Kadarpur, built for water conservation in the Aravalli region, was breached on Monday evening after heavy rainfall, inundating the surrounding areas with up to five feet of water, district administration officials said on Tuesday. 

The submerged road after the breach. (HtT Photo)

Officials said the breach occurred between 5pm and 5.30pm when the reservoir, already filled due to continuous rainfall, began overflowing. Several cars and tractors were submerged, and residents panicked as water spread across roads. Three people, a man and two women, were trapped after their car broke down and the tractor they climbed on also got submerged. Locals later rescued them, officials said. 

On Tuesday, a team from the district administration, irrigation department, and public works department visited the site. Badshahpur sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sanjeev Singla, who led the team, said, “Safety and security of the residents of the area is the priority. The flow from the breach had slowed down on Tuesday as the water receded from the reservoir, but it needs to be closed looking at the prediction of heavy rainfall till Friday.” He added that directions were issued to take up relief and rescue works in flood-affected areas. 

“The check dam, built several decades back for water conservation in the Aravalli area, got filled beyond its capacity, which resulted in the breach. The situation is under control, and we are working to pump out the water from the low-lying areas here,” Singla said. 

Rajan, former sarpanch of Kadarpur, alleged that the administration failed to act despite prior alerts. “Several of the villagers had rushed to the spot and had tried to close it using stones and sacks filled with sand and soil, but water pressure was immense. None from the administration came on Monday even after we had alerted the authorities,” he said. According to him, the dam, of British-era origin, supplies water to five to six villages, including Ullawas, Maidawas, and Bairampur. 

“The situation remained grim for several hours on Monday, but the water level came down by Tuesday morning,” Rajan said.