Heavy overnight rain in Yamunanagar damaged at least 1.25 lakh quintals of sugar worth nearly ₹50 crore stored at two warehouses of Saraswati Sugar Mills, officials said on Monday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Yamunanagar received 37.9 mm of rainfall — nearly 576% more than the normal 5.6 mm for the day.
However, at an observatory installed within the sugar mill, 160 mm of rainfall was recorded between 11 pm on Sunday and 8 am on Monday, said SK Sachdeva, CEO of Saraswati Sugar Mills.
“Our security staff alerted us around midnight about water entering the premises. Rainwater, along with overflow from a nearby drain, began flooding our godowns at Yamuna Syndicate. By morning, we found three to four feet of water inside two warehouses storing around 2.2 lakh quintals of sugar,” he said. Pumping sets and labourers were immediately deployed to drain the water.
Sachdeva added that sugar, being highly hygroscopic, was severely affected. “More than six layers of sugar bags have been damaged. Initial estimates suggest a loss of 1–1.25 lakh quintals, valued between ₹45 crore and ₹50 crore. Final figures could rise as efforts to salvage the remaining stock are still underway,” he said.
Saraswati Sugar Mills, considered Asia’s largest, procures sugarcane from farmers in Yamunanagar and nearby districts including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal in Haryana, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
{{/usCountry}}Saraswati Sugar Mills, considered Asia’s largest, procures sugarcane from farmers in Yamunanagar and nearby districts including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal in Haryana, and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
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