Recovery of cost of repairing damage when offender is unascertainable.

When a person damaging, altering, enlarging or obstructing any canal or causing damage or obstruction to, or alteration or enlargment of such canal without proper authority cannot, after such enquiry as the Canal Officer may deem fit, be identified, the Canal Officer, after giving not less than one month’s notice in writing to the holders and occupiers of all lands benefited thereby and after hearing their representations, if any, recover from them in such proportion as he thinks fit the cost of repair of such damage or removal of such alteration or obstruction or of enlargement of such canal, as the case may be.