Chandigarh: Incessant rains in the hilly areas adjoining Punjab have triggered floods in more than half a dozen districts, submerging hundreds of villages and thousands of acres of farmland. Rising water levels in dams and rivers have forced people to evacuate their homes, while normal life has been severely disrupted across the state.
Officials said it has been raining intermittently for the past 48 hours. Continuous release of water from Pong, Bhakra and Ranjit Sagar dams has added to the crisis, while the Ravi and Beas rivers are overflowing. The administration has ordered closure of schools in flood-hit areas of Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Amritsar and Jalandhar. In Fazilka, authorities have directed evacuation of nearly two dozen villages.
The Punjab government has set up a state-level flood control room in Jalandhar and deployed ministers to assess the situation in affected regions. Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO is scheduled to visit Tarn Taran, while Cabinet Minister Barinder Goyal will review the situation in Pathankot and Gurdaspur.
Heavy rainfall also lashed most parts of Malwa for the third consecutive day, further raising the water levels of rivers. The state government has instructed deputy commissioners of districts along Ravi and Beas to remain on high alert.
Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha held a review meeting with all deputy commissioners on Tuesday morning. The deputy commissioners of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Pathankot, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka have been directed to stay fully prepared to handle any emergency.
