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Punjab: Swollen Beas floods 20 villages in mand area, 4k acres submerged
Kapurthala DC Amit Kumar Panchal says dhussi embankments are safe in Bholath and Sultanpur Lodhi as only temporary bandhs have been breached
The swollen Beas river has breached temporary bandhs, inundating nearly 20 villages in the mand area of Sultanpur Lodhi and Bholath on Monday. The main breach was in Bhaini Kadar village following which over 4,000-acre agricultural land was submerged. Even residential areas and schools in these areas were flooded.
Presently, over one lakh cusec water is flowing in the Beas river due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas. The area located between Beas and dhussi bandh was largely affected. The strong current breached the temporary bandh outside the Bhaini Kadar village, and the water was flowing towards the dhussi bandh.
Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh said the agricultural land and livestock have been largely affected in Baupur Zadid, Baupur Kadim, Rampur Gaura, Mohmdabad , Mubarakpur, Sangra, Baupur Kadim, Baupur Zadid, Bhaini Karim and Bhaini Bahadur. “People have to be moved to safer locations as water enters their villages. The whole mand area has been submerged by three or four feet of water, disconnecting the area situated near the Beas river from the mainland,” he said, adding that the government should immediately order rescue measures and provide due compensation to farmers after carrying out a detailed girdawari.
Meanwhile, Kapurthala deputy commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal said the district administration is closely monitoring the Beas river’s water levels round-the-clock to ensure public safety. He said sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) of Sultanpur Lodhi and Bholath, along with revenue and other departments, have been directed to regularly visit the mand areas and maintain direct communication with residents.
“The administration is fully prepared to handle any adverse situation with robust arrangements in place. The dhussi embankments in Bholath and Sultanpur Lodhi remain completely secure with no immediate threat as only temporary advance bundhs were dismantled due to strong currents,” he said.
He added that officials from the drainage department are coordinating with officials from Pong Dam and Harike head to oversee water release into Beas river. To address potential emergencies, the health department has stockpiled essential medicines, the animal husbandry department has arranged dry fodder and teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on standby, deputy commissioner said.
Preventive measures not taken: Congress
Partap Singh Bajwa, leader of Opposition in the state assembly, blamed the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government for the inundation of villages. Apart from Kapurthala, Bajwa pointed out the discharge from Pong Dam that impacted farmers across nearly three dozen villages in the Mukerian subdivision, besides Tarn Taran district that too has been facing a similar situation. Citing a news report, Bajwa said over a dozen locations along the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers are prone to flooding every monsoon. “But these known vulnerabilities remain unaddressed. This reflects a glaring failure in administrative planning, engineering preparedness and interstate coordination,” he said.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh said the state government failed to manage the crisis or come to the aid of farmers. “A special session of the Punjab assembly be convened to pass a comprehensive Punjab Flood Management Act,” he said while urging the government to assess the damages and announce compensation for farmers.
