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Ludhiana: Excessive flow into Sutlej river sends officials into panic mode
Due to fear of breaches in the Sutlej after it crossed the danger mark in the late hours on Sunday, a number of locals residing in low-lying areas along the Sutlej had a sleepless night. Thousands of acres of paddy crop that just had been sown was submerged under the water in Ludhiana.
An excessive flow of water into the Sutlej river and other water bodies, including the Sirhind canal near Doraha, created an alarming situation in the district putting the administration on high alert on Monday.
Two several feet wide breaches in the Sirhind canal near Doraha and Rajgarh in the wee hours created panic in the nearby villages. The water also entered the military camp near the canal and was controlled just in time.
The breach due to excessive water in Siswa took place around 5.30 am, it took five to six hours before the breach was plugged in. Payal sub-divisional magistrate Jasleen Kaur said, “Officials from various departments, including irrigation, revenue, army, and police along with Mgnrega workers under the supervision of SDM were put on the job to plug this breach with the sandbags, and JCBs.”
She added that efforts are underway to provide relief to the affected residents.
Alert in low-lying areas along Sutlej, 40 rescued
A total of 40 residents of Rajjpura and Khehra Bet villages were shifted to a temporary shelter in the State Forest Research Institute. At least 15 to 20 villages along the Sutlej including Bholewal, Noorpur Bet, Walipur, Khehra Bet, Maanda, and Kasabaad are on alert. The residents of the villages also conducted night patrolling along the banks of the river.
Water level in Sutlej crossed the danger mark, locals rue losses
Due to fear of breaches in the Sutlej after it crossed the danger mark in the late hours on Sunday, a number of locals residing in low-lying areas along the Sutlej had a sleepless night. Thousands of acres of paddy crop that just had been sown was submerged under the water.
Another resident of Bholewal, Surinder Singh whose residence is located near the river said, “As water entered my home during the night, paddy straw worth one lakh stored in the storeroom has been damaged.” He added that had the administration alerted them earlier they could have shifted to some other place.
Deputy commissioner, Ludhiana, Surabhi Malik said that officials have been directed to plug all the breaches and strengthen the vulnerable points along the water bodies. She added that over 10,000 sandbags have been stocked for any emergency.
She further said that the health department has been asked to keep the teams of officials on standby, and she added that the electricity department has been instructed to gear up for supplying power in proposed relief centres.
The district administration on Sunday had ordered patrolling between 7 pm to 7 am along the canals, rivers and drains and at villages and areas located nearby till July 23.
