Punjab News: Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann said on Wednesday that his government was closely monitoring the flood situation and rescue and relief operations were on in the flood-affected areas. Officials said several areas in the three districts were waterlogged after excess water was released from the Bhakra and Pong dams. He informed that Bhakra Dam on Sutlej River and Pong Dam on Beas River (both in Himachal Pradesh) are full after heavy rains in their respective catchment areas.
Flood in Punjab in 1 month
Punjab has witnessed floods for the second time in more than a month. Several parts of Punjab were affected by the rains that lashed the state between July 9 and July 11, leading to large-scale flooding of agricultural fields and other areas and disrupting normal life. CM Mann said that the flood situation in the state is completely under control and the government is monitoring the situation. He also asked his ministers to visit the flood affected areas. In a statement, the chief minister said there was no need to panic as the Punjab government was in constant touch with the Himachal Pradesh government and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) regarding the release of excess water.
Appeal to people not to go near rivers
CM Mann said that the situation at Pong Dam and Ranjit Sagar Dam is completely under control and protection of life and property of the people is the top priority of the government. He said that special attention is being given to the relief efforts in the most affected areas and he is personally monitoring the situation. The Punjab government, in an advisory on Monday, had asked residents of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts not to go near the Beas river as it was decided that water would be released from the Pong dam.
Water entered the villages on the banks of the river
After the water was released from the dams, it also entered the low-lying areas and many villages located on the banks of the Beas and Sutlej rivers. The villagers told that due to the flood water, the crops grown in the fields have also been submerged in many places. Officials told that many villagers have been evacuated safely. Cabinet ministers Harbhajan Singh and Brahm Shankar Zimpa took stock of the flood-affected areas of Tanda and Mukerian in Hoshiarpur district. Minister Harbhajan Singh said during a conversation with the media that the rescue operation is going on and boats have been deployed to evacuate people safely. He said that the Public Works Department and the Mining Department are engaged in filling the cracks in the embankments along the Beas river.
people were evacuated
Punjab Education Minister and Anandpur Sahib MLA Harjot Singh Bains visited the flood affected areas in Rupnagar district. He said that people trapped in Harsa Bela and Patti Dulchi villages of Anandpur Sahib were rescued. Bains appealed to the people living on the banks of Sutlej river to move to safer places. At the same time, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) said on Wednesday that it will release excess water in a controlled manner for the next four to five days to take the water in the reservoirs to a safe level.
Bhakra and Pong water released
BBMB Secretary Satish Singla while interacting with the media said that after heavy inflow of water into Bhakra and Pong reservoirs, excess water has been released from the dams. He said the water level in Bhakra and Pong dams was 1,677 feet and 1,398 feet respectively on Wednesday. Emphasizing that the safety of dams should also be looked into, Singla said that any decision regarding release of water is taken in consultation with the Punjab government.
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