Rain fury: At least 55 killed in Punjab, Haryana; relief work underway

Floodwaters have started receding from several places in Punjab and Haryana, battered by heavy downpour earlier this week, even as relief works were underway in flood-hit areas of both states on Saturday.

With 14 districts in Punjab and 13 in Haryana hit by the recent downpour, at least 55 people have died in rain-related incidents in both states.

A total of 29 people died in rain-related incidents in Punjab while the death toll in Haryana stands at 26, according to official data.

Over 25,000 people have been evacuated to safe places from waterlogged localities in various flood-hit districts of Punjab and more than 5,300 in Haryana.

The flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar was 53,370 cusecs at 6 pm and 54,619 cusecs at 8 pm.

Meanwhile, two breaches occurred along the Ghaggar river in Punjab's Mansa district on Saturday, following which many villages bordering Haryana stare at a flood threat.

The first breach occurred in an embankment near the Chandpura dam in Budhlada and the second at Rorki village in the Sardulgarh area, officials said.

Work is underway to plug the breaches in order to prevent flooding of several villages but the high velocity of water is posing a problem, they added.

However, the district administration said arrangements have been made to evacuate villagers to safe places in case flood water enters villages.

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala Saturday inspected flood-hit villages of Faridabad district.

Chautala visited Manjhawali on a tractor and inspected the flood condition near the Mohana-Baghpat Bridge and in the Baghpat area on a boat.

Meanwhile, the overflowing Ghaggar river continued to wreak havoc in Khanauri and Moonak blocks in Punjab's Sangrur district, inundating vast tracts in these areas.

Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal said flood water was still in at least 20 villages in Moonak though the level of water has started receding and will reduce further by Sunday.

Jorwal added that he held a meeting with officials to review the ongoing relief work and evacuation works in the flood-affected areas of Khanauri and Moonak.

Health and animal husbandry departments have been asked to carry out operations to avoid any health risk especially when water recedes, he added.

Some roads, including national highway 71 near Khanauri, were shut for traffic movement because of being damaged due to floodwaters.

In Punjab's Patiala district, Shutrana, Samana and Sanour were the worst-affected areas.

Sub-divisional Magistrate, Patran (Patiala), Mandeep Kumar on Saturday said floodwater has started receding from some flood-affected areas.

Patiala Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said though Ghaggar river was above danger mark, the situation should normalize soon.

A 350-feet-wide breach in the 'dhusi bundh' (earthen embankment)' along the Sutlej river in Mandala Chhanna area of Jalandhar district's Lohian block has been plugged, said officials.

Punjab Cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora visited Lehra in Sangrur and distributed relief material to flood-affected people.

Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has released funds worth Rs 10 crore for the repair of drinking water supplies affected by floods.

The state government is already ensuring the supply of clean water to flood victims through alternative arrangements, but the pipes, motors or tubewells which got damaged by floods, will be repaired with this amount, he said.

As the threat of water and vector-borne diseases looms large in flood-affected areas of both states, health department officials have been directed to take appropriate steps to prevent the outbreak of any disease, said officials.

Medical camps have been set up in flood-hit areas while teams of health officials are also distributing medicines to people in affected places.

In Punjab, officials said the health department teams are actively working in the flood-affected areas. At present, 359 rapid response teams are operational, while the number of medical camps has been increased to 263.

A total of 25,160 flood-affected people have been evacuated to safer places. A total of 164 relief camps are running in the state in which 3,331 people are staying, said officials.

Over 1.60 lakh hectares of farmland have been affected by the floods.