Situation grim in Jalandhar villages; hundreds of people stranded

Hundreds of people remain stranded in villages in Jalandhar, India, after major breaches in the Sutlej river caused flooding. Efforts to plug the breaches have been unsuccessful so far, and villagers are relying on the district administration and local relief organizations for essential supplies. The affected areas have been without electricity for three days, and sanitation facilities are inadequate. The district administration has urged villagers to move to safer places, but many are reluctant to leave their homes.

Two days after over two dozen Jalandhar villages were flooded due to major breaches in Sutlej river, the situation continued to remain grim on Wednesday as hundreds of people remained stranded in several villages of Shahkot sub-division.

People wade through a flooded area, at Lohian Khas in Jalandhar on Wednesday. (ANI)

The flow of water coming from the Sutlej, which was uncontrollable on Tuesday and entered into villages from Dhussi Bundh, has reduced to some extent due to which the water level has receded in many of the low-lying villages to 4-5 feet.

However, all attempts to plug the breaches on Dhussi Bundh in Mandala Chhanna and Gata Mandi Kasu remained futile due to heavy flow.

A boat ride in the affected villages showed hundreds of households in Gidarpindi, Mand Cholian, Gata Mandi Kasu, Mandala Chhanna, Nasirpur, Pipli Miani, Darewal, Khilwal, Tendiwal, Janiyan Chahal, Janiyan, Kotha, Gatta Mundi Kasu, Mandala and Kutbiwal have been disconnected from the mainland and are surrounded by deep water.

The villagers are dependent on the district administration and Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal’s Nirmal Kuteya, which are providing drinking water, food and medicines to them through special boats.

There is no electricity in these villages for the past three days due to extensive damage to electricity poles. Owing to inadequate sanitation facilities due to overflowing toilets and sanitation dumps, the affected families have no other option than to relieve themselves on the roof tops. In Gidarpindi village, a family performed the cremation of an elderly man on the roadside as the village crematorium is inundated.

The villagers alleged that the district administration didn’t learn any lessons from the 2019 floods that wreaked havoc in the same villages.

“The situation is more critical than in 2019. The authorities concerned have done nothing to strengthen Dhussi Bundh as it breached almost on the same spot in 2019,” said Fahman Singh of Mand Cholian village.

Another villager of Gata Mandi Kasu village Paramjit Singh said their houses were severely damaged in the floods five years ago and it’s a déjà vu moment from them.

“Why would we vacate our houses leaving our livestock behind? We have to prepare for this mayhem every year as there is no permanent solution made to avoid the problem,” said Paramjit Singh, while hanging a bucket from the first floor of his house to get water bottles and food from the relief team.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Seechewal said he had warned the district administration of such a situation one month ago but nothing was done for desilting of bridges on Sutlej river and strengthening of Dhussi Bundh.

“The authorities must understand that the issue requires long-term planning for months instead of making strategies 15 days before the onset of monsoon. Who is responsible for the damages of local villagers, who are facing the brunt of poor planning?” asked Seechewal.

Meanwhile, Jalandhar deputy commissioner Vishesh Sarangal said people are going through difficult times but the administration is providing all relief items to those who are reluctant to leave their houses.

“The water level in Sutlej has receded, following which efforts have been made to clear wild grass stuck beneath the main railway bridge over the river in Shahkot. We had taken several proactive measures to strengthen Dhussi Bundh well before monsoon but the strong current of water caught us unaware due to which two major breaches occurred,” said Sarangal.

He added that the water level in the villages is expected to recede drastically by Thursday evening. “Our main focus is on plugging the breaches and strengthening banks of Dhussi Bundh so that it could tackle strong current if such a situation arises in the coming days,” he said.

Senior superintendent of police Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar said the companies of Indian Army, NDRF and SDRF have been provided with eight boats to provide all sort of relief items to at least 100 families who are residing on the first floor of their houses. “At least 320 persons have been rescued from flood-affected areas,” he said.