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Doaba flood fury: Swollen Sutlej breaches banks at many places in Punjab
Sandwiched between Beas and Sutlej, the Doaba region is keeping a close eye on the rising water levels in both rivers with the administration evacuating people in low-lying areas to safety
The swollen Sutlej breached several banks threatening to flood Jalandhar rural on Monday.
However, no loss of life and property has been reported so far as the breaches are being plugged and the water has not entered residential areas. However, thousands of acres of agricultural land under paddy crop got submerged in the water in the villages where the breaches were reported.
On Monday evening, a fresh breach, nearly 20-ft long, has been reported in Mandala village of the Lohian Khas area, creating panic among the locals and administrative officials as they are presently toiling hard to control the situation.
Panic gripped Phillaur area, which is situated adjacent to Sutlej, due to high-water levels. The water entered the premises of the Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, and several villages situated in the low-lying areas near the river.
Dozens of vehicles parked in the Academy were submerged under water forcing police personnel to quickly evacuate the premises to ensure no loss of life and property.
As per available information, the low-lying villages, which are situated near the Dhusi bandh, under the jurisdiction of Phillaur, Nakodar and Shahkot sub-divisions are vulnerable to floods.
Due to breaches, the water has accumulated in the Shaniganjh, Miowali, Mandala Chhana Pipli Miani and Ghatikasu Mandi villages and people have shifted their valuables to the rooftops, besides shifting their livestock to safer places.
“This happens every year. The villagers residing near the bank of Sutlej have to go through this annually. The water has not reached residential areas but the situation is turning grim with every hour as 2-3 feet deep water has already accumulated in the paddy fields,” said Major Singh of Mandela village.
The administration also rushed to the spot and asked the people from affected areas to move to safer places besides disconnecting the power connections to avoid any untoward incident.
Admn in contact with managements of Bhakra and Pong Dams
Meanwhile, the Jalandhar administration team rescued a family stuck in the village Uccha Khera Bet on the bank of Satluj, which falls in Ludhiana district jurisdiction.
Jalandhar deputy commissioner Vishesh Sarangal said a few breaches were reported in the wee hours on Monday but were promptly plugged to prevent further damage.
“We are continuously monitoring the situation and have already asked people of nearly 50 villages in Phillaur, Nakodar and Shahkot, located in flood-prone areas, to move to safer places. We are keeping extra vigil in the villages falling in the jurisdiction of Nakodar, Shahkot, Lohian, and Phillaur and the panchayats have been asked to do night patrolling (Thikri Pehra) in the wake of the emerging situation out of incessant rains. We are closely monitoring the flow of the water in Sutlej,” Sarangal said.
Doaba region sandwiched between Sutlej on one side and Beas on the other, remained tense throughout the day on Monday.
Due to incessant rainfall over the past three days, the region comprising Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawashahr recorded several incidents of water accumulation in the villages, highways and link roads situated on the embankments of Sutlej and Beas and its rivulets.
Kapurthala deputy commissioner Capt Karnail Singh has issued orders to evacuate nearly 40 potentially affected villages as a precautionary measure due to the raising water level in Beas and Sutlej.
“Eight relief camps have been set up. Apart from this, adequate arrangements have been made for medicines,” he said.
He said that clusters of potentially affected villages should be formed so that flood prevention measures may be implemented smoothly.
“The officials of the drainage department are keeping constant contact with the officials of the BBMB regarding the release of water from the Bhakra and Pong Dams,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior superintendent of police Rajpal Singh Sandhu said that additional force is being provided for potentially affected areas.
“Teams of 10 comprising police and swimmers have been formed equipped with boats, ropes and other rescue equipment,” he said.
In Nawashahr, the situation is under control after Sunday’s rainfall that created fury in the district that resulted in the accumulation of water on the Chandigarh-Phagwara National Highway. Though the water on the national highway has started receiving both sides of the national highway are still under 4-6 feet of water at many places.
SBS Nagar deputy commissioner Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa said all the choked siphons and rivulets have been cleared to streamline the flow of the water.
“We are specifically focussing on the villages situated in low-lying areas, including Malikpur, Charan, Majoor, Mirpur, and Rakashan Kanon villages,” he said.
In Hoshiarpur, there is no overnight rainfall, which helped in normalising the situation in rain-affected villages.
