Punjab witnesses flooding for second time in just over a month, CM Bhagwant Mann says government keeping eye on situation

Many areas of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Rupnagar districts submerged following release of excess water from Pong and Bhakra dams

Flood-affected people being rescued in a Mukerian village in Hoshiarpur. Tribune photo

PTI

Chandigarh, August 16

Having witnessed floodwater havoc last month, Punjab is facing fresh flooding with many areas of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Rupnagar districts submerged following the release of excess water from the Pong and the Bhakra dams.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said his government is keeping a close watch on the situation, adding that relief and rescue operations are underway in the flood-hit areas.

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which manages the Bhakra and the Pong dams, on Wednesday said it will release excess water in a controlled manner for the next four to five days to take the level in their reservoirs to a safe level.

The Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river and the Pong dam on the Beas river—both in Himachal Pradesh—are brimming after heavy rain in their respective catchment areas.

Addressing the media here, BBMB Secretary Satish Singla said excess water was released from the dams following heavy inflow in the reservoirs.

The water levels in the Bhakra and the Pong dams are at 1,677 feet and 1,398 feet, respectively, he said.

The level in the Beas and the Sutlej rivers rose after the release of surplus water from the two reservoirs, flooding low-lying areas and those near the banks in Punjab.

Punjab is witnessing floods for the second time in just over a month.

Several parts of Punjab were affected by a downpour in the state between July 9 and 11 that flooded vast tracts of farmlands and other areas, besides paralysing daily life.

Mann said the situation in Punjab is fully under control and the state government is keeping an eye on the situation.

He has also asked his ministers to visit the flood-hit areas.

Following Mann’s directions, ministers Harbhajan Singh and Bram Shanker Jimpa took stock of the situation in the flood-hit areas of Tanda and Mukerian in Hoshiarpur district.

Singh told reporters that boats have been deployed to evacuate people to safety. The public works and the mining departments are engaged in plugging the breaches of embankments along the Beas.

Education Minister and Anandpur Sahib MLA Harjot Singh Bains visited flood-hit areas in Rupnagar district and asked people not to panic. He said people trapped in Harsa Bela and Patti Dulchi villages in Anandpur Sahib have been rescued.

Mann also said there is no need to panic as the state government is in constant contact with the Himachal Pradesh government and the BBMB on the release of excess water.

Though the situation is under control, priority is still being given to rescue and relief work in the worst affected areas, said Mann, adding that he is personally monitoring the situation.

Many villagers, carrying essentials on their shoulders, could be seen wading through flood-hit areas to move to safer locations.

Some villagers even engaged their tractor-trolleys to take stranded people to safety and also provide relief material.

In some villages of Hoshiarpur, the floodwater rose to around four to five feet.

Officials said the district administrations of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Rupnagar have set up relief camps for the affected people. The authorities have already launched rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit areas in these districts.

Excess water released from the dams entered low-lying areas and several villages, even some homes, on the banks of the Beas and the Sutlej.

Crops have been submerged in several places, villagers said.