Punjab floods: 35,000 people affected in Amritsar as rescue teams race against time

Floods triggered by the overflowing Ravi have caused extensive damage in Amritsar district, with 93 villages and over 35,000 people affected, deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said on Sunday. Fresh rainfall has worsened the situation, affecting 23 more villages and an additional 5,000 residents

AMRITSAR: Floods triggered by the overflowing Ravi have caused extensive damage in Amritsar district, with 93 villages and over 35,000 people affected, deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said on Sunday. Fresh rainfall has worsened the situation, affecting 23 more villages and an additional 5,000 residents.

Floods triggered by the overflowing Ravi have caused extensive damage in Amritsar district, with 93 villages and over 35,000 people affected, deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said on Sunday. Fresh rainfall has worsened the situation, affecting 23 more villages and an additional 5,000 residents.

So far, floods have destroyed crops across 23,000 hectares and led to the collapse of around 50 houses. Over 2,500 people have been rescued and shifted to safer locations, with ongoing operations by six NDRF and 17 Army teams, along with civil and police authorities.

The worst-affected areas fall within the Ajnala assembly segment, where rescue and relief operations are being carried out on a war footing.

Sawhney said that over 2,500 people have been rescued and shifted to safer locations by teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), army and local administration. On Sunday, an NDRF team saved a man from drowning in a dramatic rescue operation.

Relief efforts are being led by six NDRF teams, 17 army teams, and district administration officials. So far, 35,000 cooked food packets and 8,500 dry ration kits have been distributed. Additionally, 10 tonnes of silage and 50 tonnes of animal feed have been provided, along with 5,000 packets of dry milk and 3,500 packets of long-life milk to meet local demands.

Meanwhile, the situation at Harike Headworks remains grim. As of 5pm Sunday, the inflow upstream stood at 2.74 lakh cusecs, with 2.6 lakh cusecs being released downstream. About 14,000 cusecs were diverted into the Ferozepur and Rajasthan feeder canals. The water level had shown signs of receding briefly on Saturday, but fresh rainfall has caused it to rise again.

Water from the Beas (1.04 lakh cusecs) and Sutlej (49,000 cusecs) continues to feed the headworks, with additional inflows from local rivulets due to ongoing rain.

There was some respite in Pathankot district, where water levels have begun to recede, officials said.