9 Dera Bassi villages on alert as water level rises in Ghaggar river

The Mohali Administration has sounded a flood alert in nine villages along the Ghaggar river in Dera Bassi subdivision and advised the residents to remain vigilant.

Tiwana, Khajoor Mandi, Sadhanpur, Sarsini, Alamgir, Dangdhera, Mubarikpur, Mirpur and Bakarpur villages have been put on alert for now, officials said.

According to officials, the water level in the Ghaggar river crossed 70,000 cusecs at 8 am on Friday.

Due to heavy rain in the catchment area of the Ghaggar river and the opening of two Sukhna floodgates, villages on the embankments of Dera Bassi subdivision have been advised to stay alert, they said.

These villages had borne the brunt of flood in 2023 due to large-scale soil erosion and destruction of agricultural land along the river. Floodwater had deposited a two feet layer of sand and silt over the agricultural land here. Mohali was one of the worst hit districts during the 2023 floods.

In Zirakpur, Sukhna choe flowed over Baltana bridge, while Mubarikpur causeway was submerged under water as the Ghaggar river was overflowing last night.

Dera Bassi SDM Amit Kumar said, “Police drainage department and revenue teams have been deployed in these villages. Everything is under control. Mohali DC Komal Mittal visited Tiwana village today morning to assess the situation. The Dehar-Alamgir-Tiwana link embankment is a crucial point here. A 4,500-foot wide breach of the Ghaggar at this embankment had caused widespread damage to the agricultural land in villages here.”