22 villages in Mand areas submerged

The swollen Beas river has inundated 22 villages in the Mand areas of Sultanpur Lodhi and the water level in the river has been on the increase, said Sultanpur Lodhi SDM Alka Kalia.

According to SDO, drainage, Khushwinder Singh, the water level in the Beas is 1.19 lakh cusecs. He said it is difficult to plug 100 feet wide breach as the flow of gushing water is very high and work on plugging would start when the water level decreases and department is readying sand bags to plug the breach.

The SDM said the worst-affected villages are Baupur, Baupur Kadim, Jadid and Sangra where standing paddy crops had been submerged under four to six feet of water.

She said residents of Baupur are not ready to leave their houses but are shifting their belongings to some safer places. Meanwhile, environmentalist and Rajya Sabha Member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal has pressed into service two motor boats to deliver cooked food and fodder for animals in Baupur.

The followers were also rendering help to farmers suffering from ailments by bringing them to hospital in the motor boats for their treatments. Sant Seechewal said his followers have filled sand in more than 20,000 bags to plug the breach when water level decreases in the river. The distrct authorities are maintaining strict vigil at the dhussi bundh.