Monsoon fury: Sutlej swells, Lohian villages in Jalandhar district flooded again
Deepkamal Kaur
Jalandhar, July 24
Baljit Kaur of Gatta Mundi Kasu village in Lohian returned home with her family two days ago after the floodwater had receded. She and her family cleaned up the muck that had accumulated in the house since July 10 and made the kitchen workable again.
She woke up in the wee hours today to see floodwater all around her bed again. “It was such a horrific sight that I cannot explain. We picked up essential items and headed towards the relief camp where we had spent 11 days earlier. We requisitioned a truck, loaded our bikes and animals on that and left our home once again,” she said.
A 925-foot breach had occurred in the Sutlej embankment on July 10 and only about 400-foot of that had been plugged. As the Sutlej swelled again, water came gushing through the unplugged portion, flooding the villages again.
Phumman Singh of Mundi Chohlian also has a similar story to tell. “I and my wife were putting up with our married daughter at Rame village in Shahkot, which has been safe so far. Two days ago, we came to know that the floodwater had receded. We came back. Late last night, floodwater inundated the area again. I took out my Gypsy and we came back to our daughter’s place again. An hour later, we came to know that the water level in our house has gone up to two feet. Thankfully, my son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren had still not returned from a relative’s place at Sidhwan. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for all of us to move out again,” he said.
Keeping in view the prevailing threat to life and property in these villages, schools in Gatta Mundi Kasu, Mundi Chohlian and Mehraj villages have been shut till July 26.
Amarjit Singh, government school teacher at Gatta Mundi Kasu, said, “There is no way that we can re-open the school any time sooner. The children are with their relatives at far-away places. The parents are not calling them back in view of the impending risk of flooding again. The school building, which we had cleaned up three days ago, is flooded again,” he said.
Two schools have been shut in the Sultanpur Lodhi area too. People residing in low-lying Didwindi village have moved along the railway lines for safety.
A horrific sight
It was such a horrific sight that I cannot explain. We picked up essential items and headed towards the relief camp where we had spent 11 days earlier. — Baljit Kaur, Gatta Mundi Kasu resident
Escaped in time
We returned to our house two days ago. Late last night, floodwater inundated the area again. I took out my vehicle and we came back to our daughter’s place again. — Phumman Singh, Mundi Chohlian resident
