Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday ordered a slew of additional measures for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims in various parts of the state, including supply of free high quality wheat seeds to farmers for the upcoming Rabi season.
Reviewing the post flood Action Plan (AP) for the state, the Chief Minister asked the Additional Chief Secretary (Development) to ensure timely supply of wheat seeds to the flood affected farmers, who have already suffered huge losses as a result of damage to crops due to inundation of their fields in flood water.
The Chief Minister also asked the Cooperation Department to convert the short-term loans of the flood affected farmers into medium-term loans.
He has directed the Registrar Cooperative Societies to advance fresh crop loan limits to such farmers to enable them to cultivate the Rabi crop.
Taking note of the damage to the rural rink roads and other marketing infrastructure, he has directed the Mandi Board to take on repair work on war footing as the water recedes.
Capt Amarinder has once again asked the Powercom to move expeditiously for the restoration of power supply in the flood ravaged villages. The PSPCL chairman has been asked to further intensify their efforts by employing special teams of engineers to complete the power restoration work.
Amid fear of outbreak of water-borne epidemics in the wake of the floods, the Chief Minister has ordered the Principal Secretary Health to take effective measures to check the outbreak of diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, enteric fever, jaundice etc as well as vector borne diseases like malaria, chikungunya, dengue etc.
He has also asked the Health Department to ensure fogging of the flooded areas to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
The Principal Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) has been directed to ensure adequate supply of ration and drinking water to the affected families.
The Animal Husbandry Department has also made elaborate arrangements to tackle disease among cattle. Nearly 150 special veterinary teams had been deputed to provide veterinary healthcare to around 61,000 cattle affected by recent floods in 225 villages of nine districts across the State.
Special veterinary teams are working round the clock to provide medicines and vaccination to the livestock affected by the floods in the villages of Jalandhar, Moga, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, SBS Nagar, Ropar, Fazilka, Tarn Taran and Kapurthala.
NEW RING EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTED AT TENDIWALA
In the wake of damage to the existing embankment along the Satluj River on the side of Tendiwala village in Ferozepur district due to heavy discharge of water from the Pakistan side, the existing embankment has been fortified by the construction of a new Ring Embankment.
The Government’s official spokesperson informed that the Drainage Department has prepared a new ring embankment which will provide more strength and protection to the existing one and subsequently guard against release of excess water from Pak side to Ferozepur.
“The inundation of water into the area has caused massive soil erosion resulting into weakening of the existing embankment. The Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is deployed, who, with the active support of the natives, strengthened the embankment,” said the spokesperson.
But, apprehending probable rise in quantum of water owing to incumbent rains, the Drainage Department has constructed a new ring embankment in close proximity to the existing one which is approximately four feet to 10 feet high and is 400 feet long, said the spokesperson.
Spokesperson said that the ring embankment is much higher than the existing embankment, so it will safeguard sudden rise of water in the river.
Notably, the new ring embankment has been constructed in a record time of 24 hours.
Earlier, the State Government had denied the reports as “false” and “incorrect” regarding the collapse and further breach in the Tendiwala embankment.
The government spokesperson had clarified that the reports carried no merit, and there was “no breach what so ever in the Bundh at Tendiwala. The District Administration is maintaining a close vigil and is taking all possible actions to avert any breach”.
“In fact, an Inner Bundh is being constructed to deal with any emergent situation arising out of a breach in the Main Bundh. The situation continues to be tense but is under control,” said the spokesperson, in the official statement released in the morning.
PUNJAB GOVERNMENT ISSUES POST FLOOD ACTION PLAN
Punjab Government on Monday issued the post-flood action plan with exhaustive guidelines to the District Administrations of the flood-affected districts to save human lives and animals from diseases and to restore normalcy.
The plan was issued for Jalandhar District Administration in particular on the directions of the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh while directing the Deputy Commissioner to immediately bring it into action.
“Likewise, all the Deputy Commissioners of flood-hit areas including Kapurthala, Roopnagar, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Fazilka and Moga have also been asked to implement the same,” said an official government spokesperson.
The guidelines explicitly state that economic, physical and mental wellbeing of the affected citizens should be taken care of.
Categorizing the nature of responsibilities of the district level officers, the Civil Surgeons have been asked to carry out IEC activities to educate the masses about diseases which usually occur post floods.
Personal protection methods like boiling water, proper cooking of food, washing of hands, use of ORS and Zinc tablets, personal hygiene and cleanliness of surroundings has to be communicated.
Information on water-borne diseases like diahorrhea, vomiting, cholera, vector-borne diseases like Malaria, Chickengunia and Dengue etc, skin and eye diseases has also to be conveyed.
In a one of its kind of actions recommended, in order to boost the morale of flood victims, State Government has suggested to rope in counsellors for prevention of psychological diseases arising out of acute stress.
It has been directed to advance special care for management of outbreak of epidemics. Outreach medical camps are to be established to provide medicine, counselling and for referral services to higher centres.
District Development and Panchayat Officer is to ensure disiliting of water and repair of streets and drains in the flood affected villages. Maximum work may be provided to the MAGNREGA job card holders of the flood affected areas so that the affected people can earn their earning.
Food and Civil Supplies Department has to ensure supply of ration and water where ever needed. Power supply is to be restored at the earliest.
Deputy Registrar Co-operative Society has been asked to report regarding the flood-affected societies and loss of stock of fertilizer, if any.
As a measure to give relief to the flood-affected members of the cooperative societies, Department has been asked to work out a proposal to convert certain short term loans of the members into medium term loans and to facilitate member farmers for sowing next Rabi crop, fresh short term loan or agriculture inputs be advanced to the concerned farmers.
It has been directed that compilation of data pertaining dead or drowned animals be done by the relief teams for extending compensation of cattle head that succumbed to floods.
Besides, loss to life and property and the estimated crop area damages are to be assessed at the earliest for the distribution of relief or grant.
Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, chairing a high-level meeting of Group of Secretaries on Disaster Management to review flood relief operations in the State on Monday, directed to immediately release the funds to meet urgent financial requirements in affected areas.
Asking officials to further speed up the relief operations, the Chief Secretary directed the state Health Department officials to ensure adequate supply of medicines for control of water related diseases in all affected districts, and the Food Department officials ensure adequate supply of food materials to the affected areas.
Deputy Commissioners of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Moga, Ludhiana, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Ropar joined the meeting via video conferencing and explained the relief operations carried out in their districts.
The Deputy Commissioners gave a brief account of damage caused in their districts due to floods and added that actual loss would be assessed once the water receded.
They also shared the problems being faced during flood relief operations and sought immediate release of the funds required to tackle the situation. They further assured the Chief Secretary that the situation was under control in their respective districts.
Assuring every possible help by the Government, the Chief Secretary asked the Group of Secretaries on Disaster Management, and the Deputy Commissioners to further step up the relief operations besides adopting all preventive measures to keep a check on outbreak of any disease in the flood-hit areas.
CIVIL SURGEONS DIRECTED TO PERSONALLY MONITOR ONGOING MEDICAL CAMPS
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Monday issued instructions to all Civil Surgeons to proactively monitor the ongoing medical camps being undertaken by the Government in the flood affected regions.
“The need to ensure all medical facilities reach all those needy timely and regularly is paramount,” said the Minister while lauding the Department for their wholehearted efforts in this regard saying that the State Government would suitably honour officials and officers for their commendable service.
“To avoid any epidemic and after-effects of stagnant and polluted water which causes water borne, vector borne, skin and other communicable diseases, the medical camps are being organised in the flood-affected area by the Health Department since August 18,” said Sidhu.
SARKARIA MIDST ACTION FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE DAY
Amidst relief and rescue operations for the fifth consecutive day, Punjab Water Resources Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria on Monday personally supervised the plugging of various breaches that arose out of flood fury in various districts across the State.
Heaving a sigh of relief at situation being finally under control, the Water Resources Minister on Monday expressed satisfaction over work of plugging the breaches.
During his visit to Phillaur on Monday, Sarkaira appreciated the swift pace of plugging work at the breaches in Phillaur sub-division. “Breaches including 380-ft in Meonwal, 180-ft in Meonwal Dera Pathra and 165-ft in Mau Sahib were plugged at war footing. While the work of plugging in remaining breaches in Phillaur sub-division would be completed in the coming days,” he said.
Sarkaria, who has been camping in Jalandhar for past few days to give fillip to the plugging work, said that officials of administration and Water Resources Department and the religious organizations worked tirelessly for plugging the breaches.