CHANDIGARH: Authorities are keeping a watch on the rising water level in the Bhakra dam as rain lashed many places in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday, leaving several low-lying areas inundated in both states.
The pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, connected through the Kartarpur corridor, was further suspended for the next two days because of the rain.
The decision was taken following an assessment made by Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal and the BSF officials.
Following rain in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the water level in the Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar rose from 87,177 cusecs at 8 am to 2,51,987 cusecs at 2 pm, said officials. It, however, dropped to 1,85,738 cusecs at 6 pm, they said.
The water level in Bhakra dam, the maximum storage capacity of which is 1,680 feet, reached 1,652 feet. Built on the Sutlej river, the dam has seen its water rise by 12 feet since July 16.
The authorities in Nangal in Punjab's Rupnagar district have asked people to remain vigilant in the wake of rising water in the dam. With the surge, it will be important to see when the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) decides to release water from its spillways (floodgates).
The fresh spell of rain has again sent people scampering to shore up resources and protect their property in the two states. The Saturday rain threw normal life out of gear in Punjab's Hoshiarpur where many areas were inundated.
An official said about 72 cattle heads, two cows and 70 buffaloes, were rescued from a flooding rivulet in the Talwara area. The seasonal creek was flooded due to heavy rain in the hills in Himachal Pradesh and sub-mountainous areas. The official appealed to people in low-lying areas to move to safer places under the apprehension of inundation from the swollen rivulet.
Ramdaspur and Gondpur in the Garhdiwala area were also reported flooded. The heritage street near the Golden Temple in Amritsar too was waterlogged.
In Haryana's Ambala, the Tangri river was in spate and water entered several houses in some areas of Ambala Cantonment. According to a report from the irrigation department, around 15,000 cusecs of water was released in the Tangri River on Saturday morning.
The district administration declared the closure of schools in surrounding areas of the dam and appealed to the people living in its vicinity to take shelter in safer places. The water level in the Ghaggar river has also risen.
According to a report of the weather department in Chandigarh, Haryana's Ambala Saturday received 13 mm of rainfall while Narnaul received 6 mm, Karnal 46 mm, Panchkula 19 mm, and Yamunanagar 18.5 mm.
In Punjab, Amritsar was the wettest with 85 mm of rainfall, followed by 74 mm in Ferozepur, 54.5 mm in Jalandhar, 45.5 mm in Moga, 41.5 in Faridkot, 8 mm in SBS Nagar, and 4 mm in Mohali.
The Union Territory of Chandigarh, the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana, received 5 mm of rainfall, the MeT department said.