The water level in the Pong Dam reservoir receded by two feet in the past 48 hours, but it was still one foot above the danger mark, signalling little respite for mand areas (low-lying) in Hoshairpur and Kapurthala districts, where several acres of farmland have remained submerged deep under water for the last 15 days.
Built over the Beas, the current water level in Pong was 1391.28 feet on Friday after the reservoir recorded the highest level of 1393.61 feet on Wednesday. Its maximum filling capacity is 1,390 feet.
The water inflow was recorded 72,214 cusecs at 5pm on Friday from the catchment areas, including Kangra, Mandi, and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh. The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) released 1.09 lakh cusecs of water into the Beas through floodgates and turbines.
Meanwhile, after an abrupt increase in the water level in the Beas river for the past two days, the flow has come down to 2 lakh cusecs from Thursday’s high of 2.35 lakh cusecs.
As many as 192 villages of Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur districts remained largely affected due to floods. Thousands of acres of agricultural land had remained submerged in water for the past over 15 days, leaving farmers and their families distressed.
Meanwhile, people from other districts have come in support of affected and displaced farmers in the mand area. Trolleys loaded with sand for strengthening of embankments have been brought from Moga, Jalandhar, and Faridkot, besides dry fodder, cattle corn silage, and ration reached affected areas in huge numbers.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, people from other districts have come in support of affected and displaced farmers in the mand area. Trolleys loaded with sand for strengthening of embankments have been brought from Moga, Jalandhar, and Faridkot, besides dry fodder, cattle corn silage, and ration reached affected areas in huge numbers.
{{/usCountry}}“Over 800 villages, 300 government schools, and crops belonging to 3 lakh farmers have been affected by the floods. On the night of August 26, the Ravi River had a water flow of 14.11 lakh cusecs, whereas in 1988, the highest flow recorded in the Ravi was 11.20 lakh cusecs. The current water flow in the Beas has broken all the previous records,” said Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, who is engaged in relief operations.
Revenue minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, minister-in-charge of Kapurthala district, said that relief operations are being carried out on a war footing.
“Considering the rising water level in the Beas, people were evacuated with the help of SDRF and the army and shifted to safer places. At present, two SDRF teams and army units with 40 soldiers have been deployed, and a total of 15 boats are being used to rescue stranded people,” Mundian said.
Man’s body fished out in mand Dhilwan
Kapurthala
The divers on Friday fished out the body of a 35-year-old man from the floodwaters in the mand Dhilwan area.
DSP Karnail Singh said the deceased, identified as Buta Mohammad, had been missing since Thursday morning. He added that the locals found his body floating in agricultural fields, submerged in the flood waters in the mand area.
“His family told police that he went outside to see the water level when he slipped into the water,” the DSP said.
Declare floods a natural calamity, say Seechewal, Pargat
Seechewal has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the floods be declared a natural calamity.
“The farmers of Punjab have suffered severe financial damage, for which they must be compensated on the basis of the current inflation index,” Seechewal said, urging chief minister Bhagwant Mann to strongly present the state’s case before the central government.
“Punjab Government should also write to the government of India with facts, highlighting how heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and other hilly regions is causing floods in Punjab,” Seechewal said.
Meanwhile, Congress legislator from Jalandhar Cantt, Pargat Singh, slammed CM Mann for the delay in declaring the floods a natural calamity.
Addressing reporters in Bathinda, Pargat said that by declaring a situation a calamity, a state can utilise special resources from the Centre.
“It is a failure on the part of the CM. He has not even convened a cabinet meeting to initiate steps to flag the current serious situation of flooding as a calamity. During the floods in 2023, too, the Aam Aadmi Party made a similar mistake, and the Mann government has not learnt from the previous oversight,” he added.