Non-fenced power canals in Ganderbal virtually a death trap

Major power canals in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir have virtually turned into death traps due to the absence of fencing and other safety barriers, exposing thousands of residents to serious risk.

The water canals feeding the Upper Sindh Hydropower Project (USHP) Stage-I at Sumbal and Stage-II at Kangan, which pass through several populated areas from Kullan to Kangan, remain unfenced and lack protection walls. Besides these, other hydropower canals supplying water to power projects in Ganderbal are also without adequate safety measures, posing a constant threat to life and property.

Locals said the canal banks have remained without fencing since their establishment decades ago, leading to the loss of several human lives and large numbers of livestock. “Despite the passage of decades, no one has ever bothered to fence these power canals. Many precious lives have been lost, and livestock has been swept away,” residents told Greater Kashmir. They said repairing damaged and breached canal banks and installing proper fencing has become essential to prevent further tragedies.

Residents recalled that in the past, several dead bodies were retrieved from these canals, most of them in accidental cases. On November 10, a teenage girl from the Wussan area of Kangan drowned after reportedly slipping into the power canal. Her body was later recovered by police and SDRF rescue teams.

“Many people have lost their lives—some allegedly due to suicide and others after accidentally slipping into the canal. In many cases, these incidents could have been avoided had there been safety barriers such as fencing,” said Mohammad Yousuf, a local resident.

Locals further said that canal breaches have occurred multiple times, triggering flood-like situations that damaged residential houses and turned hundreds of kanals of cultivated land barren. They alleged that the Power Development Corporation (PDC) has been playing with people’s lives by failing to fence or cover the canals despite repeated incidents in the past.

Sources said that the 10-kilometre-long power canal of USHP-I and the 23-kilometre-long canal of USHP-II, constructed in the 1970s, were originally equipped with guard quarters, canal watchers and streetlights as safety measures. However, for more than two decades, neither watchers nor lighting systems have been in place, making the canals even more dangerous.

“In March 2013, the USHP-I power canal breached due to a landslide in the Gund area, damaging several houses and agricultural land. Many human lives have been lost in the past due to the non-serious approach of the concerned department,” locals said. They added that a similar breach occurred at the Wanagath link of the Kangan power canal in the Panzin area a few years ago, causing huge property losses.

“We are living under constant threat since the canal was constructed. These incidents have brought only loss to our area,” said Mohammad Ayoub, a resident of Gund. “Even slight rainfall gives us sleepless nights, as the canal is prone to landslides that can block the flow and lead to breaches.”

Residents also highlighted the risk to animals. “Once big animals slip into the flume, they get trapped. Their hooves slip on the smooth concrete walls, and they struggle until exhausted. If the canal is dry during shutdown, they starve; if it is full, they drown,” locals said.