CHANDIGARH: Punjab government issued an alert in the state after a forecast of heavy rainfall in the next 48 to 72 hours. Amidst the forecast, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday night ordered a high alert and directed all the Deputy Commissioners to monitor the situation closely.
Singh also instructed field officers of revenue, drainage, health and food and animal husbandry departments to stay alert and be prepared to handle any eventuality arising out of heavy rains.}
In Himachal Pradesh, all the major rivers and their tributaries were in spate as the state continued to experience heavy rainfall causing landslides in some areas blocking the highways.
The floodgates of the Bhakra Dam were opened yesterday afternoon, releasing 19,000 cusecs of water, after the reservoir touched the 1,674-foot mark amid forecast of heavy rain in the catchment area of the Sutlej.
Sources in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) said that due to the heavy rainfall the water level at the Bhakra Dam and the Pong Dam reservoirs were close to reaching its tipping point. The inflow in the Bhakra reservoir was 60,000 cusecs, whereas the outflow 53,000 cusecs.
Andhra Pradesh flood toll at two
Tens of villages and hundreds of acres of farm land remained under a sheet of water in Krishna and Guntur districts even as the flood fury in river Krishna was abating, while the toll in the deluge climbed to two with the death of an 11-year-old girl. The body of the girl was recovered by NDRF personnel.
Kolkata out of gear
Life was thrown out of gear in most parts of the metropolis on Saturday, following torrential rain that led to waterlogging in low-lying areas and snapped road links at several places. The city received 186.1 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours till around noon on Saturday, the Regional Meteorological Centre here said.