People who live in low-lying areas in Haridwar district are in serious trouble with the roads getting inundated in the wake of levees breaching following heavy rains that lashed the mountainous parts of the state recently. The marooned people remained stuck as the road connectivity is yet to be restored. This proves that the Haridwar district administration was caught unaware despite its boast of being prepared for any eventuality during the rainy season.
Observers opine that floods and inundation keep recurring in the low -lying areas of Haridwar for years during monsoon season with the district administration being lackadaisical in devising means to end the residents’ predicament. like previous years, this year too, the district administration got into the act only after water began gushing into the low- lying areas in the aftermath of the heavy downpour. The residents had to shift to safer places, leaving their homes. “Their plight is pitiable and this despite the administration indulging in flippancy without going for time-bound plan to resolve the recurring problem,” an observer said.
However, police have evacuated several persons from the flood prone areas to safer places. The administration began distributing food grains and other necessary items among the residents in the disaster- affected villages. In Haridwar district, the water level of the Ganga is nearing the danger level as rains continued lashing parts of Uttarakhand. The water level of the Ganga in Haridwar was recorded as flowing just a few centimeters below the warning level mark of 292.60 meter by 4 pm on Monday while the danger level is 294 meter.
An alert has been sounded in areas near the Ganga and the district administration keeps a round-the clock vigil, monitoring the water level. Moreover, following rise in water level of Ganga, several levees breached, triggering floods and inundation of many low- lying areas like Dummanpuri, Kalsiya, Sherpur Bela, Mandabela, Ballawala, Jogawala and Chandrapuri in the district. Many residents were found living somehow huddled together on the roofs of their houses.
The administration began relief and rescue operations in the flood prone areas in the district. With the help of 40th Platoon of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, water police personnel, many affected persons of different age groups (old, child and women) were evacuated to safer places. Around 250 persons in Dummanpur were evacuated by the force at safer places while 300 persons in Kalsiya, 300 persons in Sherpur Bela, Balawala, Jogawala and 200 people in Chandrapur were shifted from the vulnerable areas. Gram Pradhans have been advised to motivate the residents to leave their homes and take shelter at safer places.
Moreover, a host of rivers in the state are in spate due to continued rainfall in mountainous parts. In Champawat district, the water level of Sharda was recorded at 219.458 metre by 2 pm on Monday while the danger level is 221.70. The water level of Tehri dam was recorded at 811.95 metre by 4 pm on Monday while the danger level is 830.