The two days of heavy and incessant rain threw normal life out of gear in Punjab with flood-like situation prevailing in several districts — including Patiala, Mohali, while many other areas witnessed waterlogging causing considerable damage to the public and private property.
In the wake of the flood threat looming large in the areas along the overflowing Satluj and Ghaggar rivers, the Punjab Government has sounded high alert, calling out the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). An alert has been issued in the low lying and areas around the rivers, while Army help was sought to deal with flood-like situation in Mohali district.
At the same time, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also asked all the Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, and the officers to stay in their respective areas and reach out to the needy people in this hour of grave crisis, while ensuring the rescue and relief operations. Following this, the Ministers, MLAs, Deputy Commissioners, and other officials went out taking stock of the situation and the ongoing relief activities.
The Chief Minister also issued orders to the Deputy Commissioners and the Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) to expedite the relief and flood protection works in their respective districts. Acting on the Chief Minister’s orders, Punjab Police also made extensive arrangements to deal with any kind of exigency arising out of potential floods.
As per the reports available, Satluj river was overflowing thus inundating many low-lying areas and villages along the river and its tributaries, including Kahanpur Khoohi in Ropar district and its Anandpur Sahib city. The water level in Sutlej has also increased in Moga, Ferozepur districts.
The Ghaggar river is also reported to be overflowing at 2.5 feet above the danger mark, alarming the local authorities. The administration has called out National Disaster Response Force team in Tiwana village of Mohali. The water in Ghaggr was reported to be flowing at 12.5 feet, against 10-foot danger mark, with the administration keeping a close watch on the water level in the Ghaggar, that would flow downstream towards Patiala and Sangrur.
Ghaggar, which originates from Panchkula district of Haryana passes through Samana, Devinagar, Ghanaur and Sanuar towns of Patiala and parts of Sangrur district.
In Patiala, preventive evacuation orders have been issued in areas adjoining Badi Nadi. Flood-like situation was witnessed in most parts of the district as rain water entered houses of people in old city area.
In Dera Bassi, too, Ghaggar water has reportedly entered fields and large swathes of land were inundated. Teams of NDRF also rescued several people in the Derabassi area.
Even though the overflowing rivers’ waters had waterlogged a large number of fields, several houses, and the fencing of the international border were reported to have been damaged by the heavy rains in Kharar and Ferozepur areas, respectively.
The incessant rains and subsequent waterlogging were reported from many areas of Patiala, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ludhiana, Mansa, and Muktsar districts. The continuous rain had also hit the rail and road traffic in the State leaving the residents harried. Train services in Ropar district were suspended after high alert was declared by Deputy Commissioner Dr Preeti Yadav.
As many as 22 persons, including 5 women and 4 children, from Sensowal Khurd village near Machhiwara in Ludhiana have been rescued from gushing rainwater that had flooded the fields where they were on work.
Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik said that the villagers had gone to sow paddy in fields on the other side of river and had got stuck when the water level rose in the river. A special boat was used to ferry these 22 persons back to Dhulewal village.
According to weather department, heavy rain is likely to occur over Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Mansa, Muktsar, Patiala, Sangrur, and Tarn Taran in the next three hours.
The Met office has issued a warning of isolated extremely heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand throughout Sunday. Heavy to very heavy rain is predicted in isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir until Monday, and in eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab until Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister — who is personally monitoring the situation — said that the Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, and officers must ensure an elaborate flood protection mechanism is put in place to safeguard the life and property of people. “Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and Officers should go amongst the people in their area and ensure relief to them at the earliest. DCs and SSPs should expedite the relief work in their respective districts so as to provide succor to the masses,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that an alert has already been issued in low lying areas especially those around the rivers adding that people should not go out of home until some important work is there. “Due to continuous rain across the State, a flood like situation has emerged but the State Government is keeping a regular tab over the situation. All the Ministers and MLAs should visit their respective constituencies, especially in low lying and flood prone areas, to ensure that help is provided to the needy people,” he added.
At the same time, the Chief Minister made it clear that any sort of callousness in this work is unwarranted and undesirable.
Swinging into action, the Ministers and MLAs have tied up with the district administration to give relief to the people. The pictures and videos of Ministers and MLAs visiting the low lying and flood-prone areas, appeared in social media.
Meanwhile, in all the districts, the DCs have set up flood control rooms to help the people in hour of crisis. The numbers have been publicized and officials have been appointed round the clock in these control rooms to serve the people. The officials have been directed to ensure immediate action on any sort of distress call by people in case of emergency.
Water Resources Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said that the Department was fully prepared to deal with any untoward situation due to the increased water level in the reservoirs due to the continuous rain in the hilly areas and Punjab as well.
Hayer said that all the officers or employees of the Department have posted in the field to regularly monitor the situation of water level of seasonal rivers, tributaries and canals. A flood control room has already been established at the head office level. Apart from this, flood control rooms have also been established in all districts of the state. All the field functionaries were being updated regularly about the water level and release of water was being informed well advance so that they should alert the district administrations and people.
The state Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav also informed that a state control room has been set up for flood mitigation and concerned officers have been asked to take hourly reports from districts to keep them updated about the current situation in their concerned districts.
Pertinently, DGP Gaurav Yadav and Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla have been personally supervising the situation in the state, while, Commissioners of Police and SSPs have also been directed to remain in the field and personally monitor the situation in their concerned districts at regular intervals.
Special DGP Arpit Shukla said: “The teams of the State Disaster Response Force (STRF) are on alert and fully prepared to tackle any kind of crisis. NDRF teams have also been deployed in the flood-ravaged districts including SAS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib to carry out rescue operations and meet any exigency arising out of floods. Additionally, Army has also been asked to remain on alert.”
Army Help Sought in Mohali
In Mohali, the state government has asked for Army help to deal with floods in the district. In a communication sent on Sunday to Advisor, Civil Military Affairs, GOC-in-C Secretariat, Western Command, Chandimandir, Punjab’s home secretary has requested for deployment of Army to provide rescue relief measures during flood in SAS Nagar (Mohali).
The Army help was sought soon after the Mohali Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain requested the Government for the same while conveying that there is an assessment of a grave situation of flooding arising due to continuous rains during the last three days. There is a weather forecast of continuous rains this week as well and water has now started entering into the houses of both urban and rural areas.
“Keeping in view the prevailing situation of incessant rainfall and grave situation of flooding, you are requested to provide suitable number of internal security columns of Army to mitigate the situation,” said Mohali DC in a communique to the Government.
She added, “We have already mobilized all resources available within our district and six NDRF teams have been requisitioned to provide assistance to affected individuals. District administration is already meticulously monitoring ground situation and therefore if need arises internal security columns of army may be requisitioned,” she said.
“Further, nodal officers of Western Command may be alerted to reduce the response time as and when need arises so that the efforts already undertaken by the district administration can be strengthened,” she added.
Shah speaks to Punjab, Himachal CMs; assures help
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday spoke to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to take an update about the losses incurred by the states because of heavy rainfall, while assuring all possible help to deal with the situation.
