Tangri river floods Ambala colonies, residents suffer

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, August 20

Residents of colonies located on the Tangri riverbed in Ambala Cantonment are living under constant fear of losing their belongings and houses due to floods.

With the rise in the level of the Tangri river yesterday, which was recorded at 9,300 cusecs, water had entered a large number of houses. However, the water started receding later. The power supply was snapped in several areas. The residents had a hard time as they had to shift their belongings on the roof and had to spend the night keeping a watch on the river level.

Yuvraj, a resident of New Ajeet Nagar, said, “There was nearly three-feet water in my house. The furniture has been badly damaged.”

Rahul, a poultry farmer, said, “I have suffered a loss of nearly Rs 20,000 as several bags of poultry feed got damaged and about 300 chicks died.”

Sudama, another resident, said, “Due to water entering the houses over the years, the foundations of a large number of houses have weakened and the walls have developed cracks. The boundary wall of my house collapsed last night. The government must do something to rehabilitate us. Majority of the people who reside here are daily wagers.”

Saleem, a bus driver, pointed out that residents had been issued water and electricity connections and were paying house tax.

He said, “Despite paying taxes, the administration says our houses are illegal and we will be responsible for the loss. The government should make proper arrangements so that poor people don’t face the losses repeatedly.”

“There were snakes and other insects in the water. It was a tough time for children and old-aged people. Due to a ban on mining, the level of the river has increased. The government and administration should remove the sand regularly to ensure smooth flow of water,” said another resident.

Senior district officials were at the riverside till late night to monitor the situation.

The XEN, Irrigation Department, Praveen Gupta, said, “Nearly 9,300 cusec water was recorded around 10 pm last night and then it started receding. About 700 to 800 cusec water was flowing smoothly today and there are no reports of fresh release of water.”