Heavy Rain, Overflowing Ghaggar, Satluj Rivers Destroy Thousands of Acres of Fields in Punjab – News18

The floods in Punjab have wreaked havoc as thousands of acres of farmland are inundated by the downstream flow of Ghaggar and Satluj rivers.

While the civic and police administration have sought the help of the the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army in the rescue and relief operations, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has also been pressed into operation.

ROPAR RECORDED HIGHEST RAINFALL

Thousands of acres of fields were submerged as water gushed from the overflowing rivers, necessitating evacuation of people living in villages and towns located at the river sides.

Ropar recorded the highest rainfall at 546 mm, followed by Mohali at 401.6 mm, Gurdasapur at 190.3 mm, Fatehgarh Sahib at 162.8 mm and Pathankot at 150.1 mm. Other than Ropar and Mohali, the worst-hit districts owing to the overflowing rivers were Moga, Ludhiana, Patiala and Sangrur, where damage to crops and property has been reported and a large number of cattle has been washed away.

At least three major breaches were reported — at Narwana branch, Siswan rivulet that led to water flowing into Sirhind canal, and at Tiwana near Mohali. Breaches in the Satluj Yamuna Link canal were also reported, which led to flooding in areas around Rajpura.

Officials said the downstream flow of both Ghaggar and Satluj caused the flooding in surrounding areas.

THE RISE AND FALL

On Monday morning, the water level at Bhankhapur for Ghaggar dropped to 11,555 cusecs, it swelled to 1.22 lakh cusecs by evening as rain continued to lash the region. However, as it flowed towards Patiala, the water level rose to 83,468 cusecs, leading to flooding in the district. As it moved further towards Khanauri, the water level fell to 8,350 cusecs.

Similarly, the water flow into the Satluj remained very high at 1.81 lakh cusecs at Ropar. The river was swollen further at Phillaur at 2.45 lakh cusecs as 1.30 lakh cusecs of water from the Siswan, Swan, Sirsa, Budhki and Sangrao rivers had flown into the Satluj. This led to a near flood-like situation in Nawanshahr and parts of Ludhiana district. The authorities are now keeping a close watch on the water level of the river as it moves down to Harike Pattan and Hussainiwala, where the last recorded water level on Monday was 67,201 cusecs and 47,556 cusecs, respectively.

The only solace so far has been that water level in the three dams — Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar – has remained below the maximum level. The water level at Bhakra on Monday evening was 1,620 feet, Pong was 1,355.10 feet and Ranjit Sagar dam was 521.26 feet.