Flood threat in Ravi after dam water release, rains in Himachal Pradesh

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, July 9

The Ravi which passes along a section of the border belt of the district before crossing over to Pakistan, will receive nearly two lakh cusecs of water from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir tonight. Apart from rains in these two mountainous states, Jammu and Kashmir’s Ujh river is said to be the prime feeder to cause spate in the Ravi.

No danger at present

There is no danger at present along the Ravi in this border district. The people residing along the Ravi can contact the district-level control room on 0183-2229125 in case of any flood-like situation. Amit Talwar, Deputy Commissioner

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The dam at Ujh had 1.80 lakh cusecs of water at 12 pm today and its level reduced to 50,000 cusecs by late evening. Engineers of the Irrigation Department stated that more water was expected to reach at about 9 pm and it will take the entire night to cross. Its impact would also be visible tomorrow. They said it was a positive development that the water level in the dam had receded.

The department deployed field staff to keep a watch at the downstream flow of the river which enters the district from adjoining Gurdaspur. The department monitors the flow of water from the gauge installed at Dharamkot.

Punjab minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who visited those border villages which fall along the bank of Ravi, said two lakh cusecs of water was released in the Ujh river this morning. The water of the Ujh river entered the Ravi near Makura Patan, causing its level to increase. He also visited Ghonewal, the last village of the district on the banks of the Ravi river. He cautioned the nearby residents to avoid going to the banks of the Ravi river.

Deputy Commissioner Amit Talwar said there was no danger at present along the Ravi in this border district. He said people residing along the Ravi can contact the district-level control room on 0183-2229125 in case of any flood-like situation.