The water level in the Ghaggar river in Punjab’s Sangrur district has risen to 742.9 feet, which is just six feet below the danger mark of 748 feet, officials said.
Punjab water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, who is also the Lehra AAP MLA, said that though there is no immediate flood threat in the district, the government is taking precautionary measures.
“The authorities have identified 94 potential breach sites and have placed filled bags to counter any emergency. The administration has also procured 8.76 lakh empty bags, while 3.24 lakh bags are filled and are being managed through an online system,” Goyal said.
He said that the state government had bought 10,700 jumbo bags designed to stop water immediately.
However, panic gripped residents of areas adjoining the river.
Kabal Singh, a resident of Makorad Sahib, expressed concern about the river’s narrow path in the area. “The Ghaggar is wide from Khanauri to Makorad Sahib, but then it becomes narrower from here to Jakhal, increasing the risk of breach and flooding which may lead to crop damage,” he said.
Goyal attributed the narrowness of the river from Makorad Sahib to Karail to the Haryana government’s refusal to allow its widening.
{{/usCountry}}Goyal attributed the narrowness of the river from Makorad Sahib to Karail to the Haryana government’s refusal to allow its widening.
{{/usCountry}}He said while the river is 598 feet wide between Khanauri and Makorad Sahib, it shrinks to just 198 feet from Makorad Sahib to Karail. “As a precautionary measure, we have constructed 15-feet-wide embankments in the area,” he said.
Most dams in the region are 25 feet below their danger levels, Goyal said, indicating the situation is under control.