Ludhiana: Burrowing rodents are eroding canal banks and causing power poles to tilt, sparking safety fears along the Sidhwan Canal.The Ishwar Nagar Bridge rats have hollowed out the soil, creating sinkholes, structural instability, and road hazards. Former Buddha Dariya Rejuvenation project task force member Col J S Gill urged municipal authorities to implement urgent pest control measures to halt structural degradation along the watercourse.Local activist Kuldeep Khaira said: “The problem extends beyond the canal. Rodent activity has damaged sewer lines, manholes, bridges, and roads across the city, while the tilting electricity poles risk collapsing onto traffic if ground erosion continues.”Activists called for a coordinated response between three public agencies: the municipal corporation to exterminate the rodent population, the irrigation department to repair and backfill the eroded canal banks, and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited to restabilise the compromised power poles.
