Flowing with ample rainwater a month and a half ago, the seasonal Ghaggar now has little water to offer. Unscheduled long power cuts offering little time to farmers to irrigate land, an abysmally low water table and erratic flow of water in the Ghaggar are giving sleepless nights to tillers. Farmers with land along the river in the district are more concerned. A farmer of Khareka village, Baijnath, who cultivates nearly four acres located near the Ghaggar, says these days one notices water in the river, but the flow is less. From Mansa district of Punjab, the river enters Sirsa from Musahibwala village and after passing through several villages like Burj Karamgarh, Nagokim Pharwai Khurd and Nejadela eventually crosses over to Rajasthan's Hanumangarh district. The Ghaggar originates in the Morni Hills and passes through Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Farmers complain that the river waters contain effluents which enter it in Kalka, Pinjore, Panchkula and Ambala. The pollution in it is caused by the discharge of untreated industrial waste and sewage from Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Punjab. Another farmer, Joga Singh of Panihari village, however, is hopeful the rainwater, "enriched with manure-like qualities' will help improve crop yield. C.L. Ganda, superintending engineer, canal department, said seven canals received water from the Ghaggar. These were the north Ghaggar canal, the south Ghaggar canal, the Sherawal parallel channel, the Kasaba minor, the Manjala direct minor, the Ghaggar-Bani Sadewa Mamman Khera link channel and the Ghaggar Sukhchain link. Of these, the Mamman Khera link channel and the north and south Ghaggar canals were drawing water. He expressed the hope that within a couple of days, the remaining canals would start receiving water. The district administration has made elaborate arrangements to deal with any untoward situation during the monsoon. It had set up offices across the district, which started functioning round the clock from July 1. They will remain active till September 30. Besides, flood-prone areas have been identified and divided into five equal zones. Trained professionals have been put on alert. Six flood-monitoring cells have been set up, including three at the district headquarters and one each at the Dabwali, Rania and Ellenabad subdivisions. The area had witnessed floods due to a swollen Ghaggar in 1988, 1993, 1995.