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There is a scene of great devastation in Punjab at this time. People have become homeless. Their homes have been destroyed. Many people have died in the devastating floods. The death toll is increasing. According to information received from officials on Saturday, the death toll in the floods has increased to 46, while crops standing on 1.75 lakh hectares of land have been destroyed. Teams of NDRF, BSF, Army, Punjab Police and District Administration are continuously engaged in relief and rescue operations.
While Punjab is facing the worst flood in decades, there is no less devastation in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. This situation has persisted due to the overflowing of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal drains due to heavy rains. Apart from this, heavy rains in Punjab have made the situation even more serious, which has increased the difficulties of the people.
Water level on dams
According to information received from officials, a slight decrease in the water level of Pong Dam was recorded to be 1,394.19 feet on Saturday. However, it is still four feet above the maximum limit of 1,390 feet. On Friday, the water flow in the dam was 99,673 cusecs, which decreased to 47,162 cusecs. On the other hand, the water level in Bhakra Dam was recorded at 1,678.14 feet on Saturday, which was 1,678.47 feet on Friday. The water flow in this dam built on the Sutlej river was 62,481 cusecs and the discharge was 52,000 cusecs.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema described the floods in the state as the most severe in five decades. He said that continuous rains in Punjab and neighboring hill states have caused heavy devastation, affecting about 2,000 villages in all districts. More than 3.87 lakh people have been affected and 46 deaths have been reported so far. Between August 1 and September 5, 43 deaths were reported from 14 districts and 1,996 villages in 23 districts have been affected by the floods.
Where did most of the deaths occur?
The highest number of deaths were reported from Hoshiarpur and Amritsar, 7 each. 6 deaths were reported from Pathankot, 5 from Barnala, 4 each from Ludhiana and Bathinda, 3 from Mansa, 2 each from Gurdaspur, Rupnagar and SAS Nagar and 1 each from Patiala, Sangrur, Fazilka and Ferozepur. 3 people are missing in Pathankot. Officials said that for the last few days, the water level in the district is at a dangerous level and the difficulties of the people living in the villages are increasing continuously due to the floods.
According to officials, so far 22,854 people have been evacuated from the affected areas. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the agriculture sector, the backbone of the state’s economy, has suffered huge losses in 18 districts. Apart from this, there has been major damage to infrastructure, houses and animals. He said that the water level of Ghaggar river has also crossed the danger mark of 750 feet.
Rescue operation continues
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema also said that about 200 relief camps have been set up across the state, where more than 7,000 displaced people have been kept. 24 teams of NDRF and two teams of SDRF are running rescue operations with the help of 144 boats. At the same time, there has been heavy damage in the low-lying areas of Tanda and Mukerian sub-divisions in Hoshiarpur, where crops like paddy, sugarcane and maize have suffered heavy damage.
Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain said that a detailed survey is being conducted to assess the damage. He said that the affected families will be compensated and all the departments are working well to ensure timely relief and rescue operations. He said that the situation is under control. Meanwhile, Kapurthala district Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal said that the water flow in the Beas river was recorded at 1.72 lakh cusecs.
