31 Tarn Taran villages near Sutlej flooded; 25 rescued

Thirty-one villages in Tarn Taran district situated near the Sutlej are flooded and many people have been feared trapped as all floodgates of Harike headworks were opened, said officials

TARN TARAN : Thirty-one villages in Tarn Taran district situated near the Sutlej are flooded and many people have been feared trapped as all floodgates of Harike head were opened, said officials.

Thirty-one villages in Tarn Taran district situated near the Sutlej are flooded and many people have been feared trapped as all floodgates of Harike headworks were opened, said officials.

The Tarn Taran district administration with the help of Punjab Police have rescued 25 people, including children and women, and the operation in eight villages is still on, said officials.

Punjab transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, deputy commissioner (DC) Baldeep Kaur and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan are supervising the rescue operation. Most of the affected villages fall under Bhullar’s Patti constituency.

“We have deployed three boats, which are involved in the rescue operation. A major tragedy has been averted as two breaches in the dhussi bundh (embankment) in Kuttiwala and Gharam villages were plugged in with the support of locals,” the DC said.

“The water is coming from the Jalandhar side where the level is 3 lakh cusecs. We have been asking affected villagers to move to safer places,” she said.

“As per reports, 10 people are still trapped in flood waters,” the SSP said, adding “seven villages situated 1 km downstream of the Harike heads have been severely affected and our teams are working to rescue people and animals,” he said.

The 31 affected villages are Harike, Marar, Booh, Kuttiwala, Ghallewala, Sabran, Malahwala, Bhura Hathar, Gagarke, Bhaneke, Gudaike, Dumniwala, Sito Meh Jhugian, Kot Budha, Bhauwal, Bhojoke, Ballarke, Jalloke, Toot, Jhugian Peer Baksh, Radhalke, Ram Singh Wala, Bhangala, Jhugian Noor Muhammad, Jhugian Natha Singh, Mutheyanwala, Rasoolpur, Gazal, Mehndipur, Mienwala and Muhammadi Wala.

The rain fury has damaged thousands of acres of paddy, maze and fodder fields in these villages. Many animals have also been feared trapped.

On Tuesday, a breach occurred in the dhusi bundh of the Sutlej, which was plugged by the administration with the help of volunteers.

Tarn Taran administration has set up seven relief camps at Government High School, Harike, Government Secondary School, Dubali, Government High School, Kot Budha, Government High School, Talwandi Sobha Singh, Government Middle School, Bhangala, Government Secondary School, Khemkaran, and Government High School Sabran.

The DC said adequate food, medical facilities have been provided in these relief camps.

The DC said the Sutlej may swell further which may cause more damage to villages in the district.