Punjab floods: Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Rupnagar worst hit districts; rescue ops underway

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.

Several people in low-lying regions and villages on the banks of the rivers in Punjab were evacuated to safety even as district administrations appealed to people in the flood-hit areas to move to safer locations.

The Gurdaspur district administration announced holidays in government and private schools in flood-hit villages till further orders while the authorities in Rupnagar declared holidays in schools and Anganwadi centres in the affected areas on August 17-18.

Many villagers, carrying essentials on their shoulders, could be seen wading through flood-hit areas to safer places. Some villagers even engaged their tractor-trolleys to take the stranded people to safety and provide relief material.

The district administrations have set up relief camps and helpline for the affected people. Plugging of some breaches along the rivers in these areas are also being undertaken, said the officials.

In Hoshiarpur, farmlands, link roads and villages near the banks of the Beas in Mukerian, Tanda, Dayua and Talwara are inundated, said the officials. In the Mukerian block, villages including Haler Janardhan, Motla, Miani Malaha, Kolian, Simbli and Mehtabpur, have been submerged under four to five feet water, they said.

The district administration closed the Mukerian-Gurdaspur Road for vehicular traffic Tuesday evening after it was submerged. The traffic was diverted to Gurdaspur via Pathankot.

Anita Som Parkash, the wife of Union Minister of State Som Parkash, visited the Haler Janardhan village and assured help to the victims.

A resident of Mehtabpur village, Tarsem Singh Numberdar said the condition of his village is very bad. "Road connectivity to the village is lost due to the submergence of all link roads leading to it," he said, adding that his home is inundated in about four to five feet deep water.

This is the first time that his village has been flooded since 1988, Numberdar said, adding that crops in the village have also been damaged.

The villagers are also facing a shortage of green fodder for their milch animals.

Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed to manage the floods and conduct rescue operations.

Evacuation work in about 17 villages of Talwara, Mukerian, Dasuya and Tanda areas has been done. More than 2,500 inhabitants of the flood-affected villages have been sent to relief camps and safer places.

She said the rescue work by the NDRF and SDRF teams is still going on in several waterlogged villages of the area, including the Fatta Kulla village in Tanda block.

In some villages, residents refused to leave their homes, choosing to move to the upper storeys. The administration provided them with food and dry ration.

In Gurdaspur, Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal visited flood-affected areas near the Beas. He said 12 villages have been affected and rescue operations with the help of NDRF, Army and the BSF is going on.

Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said 125 people have been evacuated and 15 boats deployed for the rescue operation. A breach in the embankment along the Beas flooded many villages, including Chechia Chorian, Pakhowal, Kherha, Dalelpur, Padana, Chhina Bet, Nadala, Jagatpur Kalan, Kohlian and Khariaan, he said.

The district administration has asked residents of the flood-hit areas to move to safer places.

Aggarwal also appealed to the people to cooperate with the rescue teams, adding that the district administration is fully prepared to deal with any situation.

A relief camp has been set up at the school in Purana Shala and all teams of medical, veterinary and other departments are engaged in the relief operations.

Aggarwal asked people not to panic and said they can use the helpline to seek assistance.

Over 200 people have evacuated from flood-hit places in Anandpur Sahib and Nangal areas of Rupnagar district.

Over 20 villages, including Harsa Bela, Bhalan, Bhanam, Bela Dhyani, have been inundated, according to the officials.

Regular announcements are being made for people to move to safety, they said.