Budhki, Sarsa rivers in spate; admn orders evacuation of dozens of villages

Arun Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ropar, August 18

Following heavy rain in the state and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, all the rivers and khuds in the district are in spate, inundating dozens of villages.

The district administration has ordered evacuation of villages situated on the banks of the Budhki and Sarsa rivers.

At 11 am, over 2,40,000 cusecs water was recorded in the Sutlej river at Ropar, while its tributaries Swan recorded 75,000 cusecs water, Sarsa 29,000, Budhki 11,000 and Sadhron 13,000.

The water started flooding the area as all the tributaries of the Sutlej swelled during night, trapping the people in water all around. As the level of water kept increasing, the district administration ordered to evacuate people from areas near Budhki and Sarsa rivers.

Several boats, including teams of National Disaster Response Force, were pressed into service to rescue people from Ranjit Pura, Dahirpur Batarala, Tibba Tapparian and Fandi villages and Gharat Basti of Kiratpur Sahib.

At Surtapur Mand and Kotla Nihang Tapparian, a bundh of the Sadhraon river was washed away, resulting in floods in fields as well as houses.

Ropar SDM Harjot Kaur, who was monitoring the situation in affected villages on a tractor, said all the government machinery has been activated to protect the life and property of people. All the residents of the villages on the banks of Budhki and Sarsa rivers have been asked to go to safer places.

Meanwhile, a three-year-old son of a watchman at a private school feared drowned when the water flooded his house situated in the low-lying area of the building.