CHANDIGARH: Close to 15 villages on the Indo-Pak border in Ferozepur district are facing a flood threat after Pakistan opened the gates of its headworks in Kasur on Satluj river. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday asked the water resources department to work out a joint action plan to strengthen the embankment at Tendiwala village in the district.
The directions were issued even as the Union home ministry has decided to send a central team to assess the damage and losses due to floods in Punjab along with 11 other flood-ravaged states.
Presiding over a high-level meeting to review the flood situation in Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Ropar districts, the Chief Minister directed the Principal Secretary Water Resources to ensure strengthening of Tendiwala embankment on war-footing to avert the flooding of nearby villages. He also directed the Deputy Commissioner Ferozepur to keep NDRF Teams on standby to meet any exigency arising out of the floods.
Deputy Commissioner of Ferozepur Chander Gaind informed that 500 persons have been evacuated to safer places in Makhu and Hussaniwala area and about 630 persons are given necessary medical aid. In addition, nearly 950 are food packets are distributed to the people, and adequate arrangements are in place for the supply of feed and fodder to the livestock.
It must be noted that the released water first goes to Pakistan from Ferozepur district and returns to the district. This phenomenon takes place multiple times creating a zig-zag movement of the water flow.
Since Pakistan has released water in a huge quantity, the embankments in Tendiwala village are damaged looming danger of floods in the villages.
Gaind told the meeting that the strengthening work at Tendiwala village was going on in full swing and the Army was assisting in fixing the rift on the embankment. Amarinder directed the Ferozepur DC to keep a close tab on the ongoing strengthening of work at Tendiwala to ensure its completion at the earliest.
While reviewing the progress of relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaken in Jalandhar, the Chief Minister was informed that as many as 389 families with 1690 members in the flood-hit villages had been treated by the mobile teams. Another 655 patients were treated at the OPDs by these teams. About 4600 persons have so far visited the medical camps in the flood-affected areas. As many as 31 persons have been evacuated to the nearby relief camps.
With regard to Kapurthala district, Amarinder was apprised that there was no loss of human life and cattle reported and the district administration had constituted 20 village-wise flood relief teams and has been stationed in the severely affected areas on 24X7 basis. As per the information given by the DC Kapurthala, 1415 persons were given requisite treatment, with veterinary care provided to 640 cattle. He said that the distribution of dry ration packets and other relief material was also going on full swing.
As per the inputs given by Deputy Commissioner Ropar, the water level in the flooded fields of the district had by and large receded. Nearly 500 persons had been evacuated, and drinking water and power supply have been restored in the flood-affected villages. About 3300 persons have been provided with medical aid in 13 permanent and 22 mobile camps, and three ambulances pressed into services to provide emergency healthcare services. Apart from this, 20 teams of Animal Husbandry Department had been deputed in the district to ensure an adequate supply of feed and fodder, besides providing veterinary care to the livestock.