Sangrur: Ghaggar nears danger mark; panic among area residents

Parvesh Sharma

Sangrur, August 17

Already reeling under huge debt due to recent flooding, the rise in water level of the Ghaggar to 746.01 ft has led to panic among area residents.

Farmers fear that embankments of the river may get breached again if water level continues to rise.

Gurnam Singh of Moonak said, “I lost paddy on 10 acres due to floods in July. To resow paddy, I purchased saplings from Jind at a cost of Rs 3,000-Rs 3,500 per acre. Paddy transplantation cost has touched Rs 11,000 per acre. I borrowed money from my relatives and private money lenders. The government should strengthen the embankments of the Ghaggar.” Some farmers said they had been keeping a supervision round-the-clock as water level had started rising.

Gursharan Virk, Executive Engineer, Drainage Department, said, “At present, the Ghaggar is flowing at 746.01 ft while the danger mark is 748 ft. All the breaches have been plugged and our teams are in the field to assess the situation.”