Gurdaspur worst-hit as dam water brings misery to Punjab

With 500 more people evacuated today, the authorities claim to have rescued 5,500 people in the last four days, Gurdaspur alone accounting for 625 evacuees.

Residents with their livestock shift to a safer place from a flood-affected area as the swollen Beas river inundates near Jalandhar on Friday. (Photo | PTI)

CHANDIGARH: The unfolding flood devastation caused by the release of dam water in Punjab worsened today as more water was discharged from Pong and Bhakra-Nangal into the swollen Beas and the Surtuj.

Sources said 80,200 cusecs of water from the Pong Dam and 68,416 cusecs from the Bhakra-Nangal Dam were released. The water flow in the Beas was 2,00,000 cusec today while yesterday the maximum level was 25,3000 cusec. The floodwater entered some 196 villages across six districts of the state disrupting normal life. The worst affected was the Gurdaspur district as 90 villages were affected in the district followed by Kapurthala in which 45 villages were marooned.

Adding to the misery of Gurdaspur villagers was overnight rain that lashed the catchment areas of the Pong dam.

With 500 more people evacuated today, the authorities claim to have rescued 5,500 people in the last four days, Gurdaspur alone accounting for 625 evacuees. As many as 30,000 people have been displaced in the district, authorities said.

In Kapurthala district, teams of National Disaster Response Force personnel with the help of the Indian Army evacuated 150 people from Baupur and Busowal villages falling in Sultanpur Lodhi sub-division in the last two days. At least 45 villages are affected in Kapurthala district.

Elsewhere in the state, water has started receding in Hoshiarpur district, according to Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal. However, the number of affected villages remained the same at 18. Mittal said a few people have started returning to their villages following a dip in the excess water being released from dams. In Ropar district, some 770 people have so far been rescued. Only three villages in the district are worst affected. In other villages, the water level has come down. In Taran Taran district, 39 villages are affected and 150 people have so been rescued.

Around 150 villages in the Majha region, particularly Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district have borne the brunt of the flood fury. Deputy Commissioner Captain Karnail Singh recently visited affected villages to assess ongoing relief operations.