Punjab Floods: 20 villages flooded in Jalandhar

Indian Air Force team was pressed into service to provide relief material like food and water to the flood-hit villages of Punjab. Around 20 villages were flooded in Lohian Khas following the damage to a nearby dam due to incessant rains and overflow of a water channel in the region.

Jalandhar: Around 20 villages were flooded in Lohian Khas following the damage to a nearby dam due to incessant rains and overflow of a water channel in the region, district administration informed on Wednesday.

Facing a flood-situation, the locals complained of not being provided assistance from the administration.

"We are yet to receive any aid from the government. People are facing problems due to flood. We request the government to arrange immediate relief material for us and also set up relief camps here," locals said.

Meanwhile, Air Force team rescued nine civilians, including three adults and six children who were stranded in Yamuna River in Karnal district on Tuesday as heavy rains wreaked havoc in the region on August 18-19.

"Pilots of Mi-17 V5 152 Helicopter Unit carried out the rescue mission using night vision goggles for the rescue operations," Air Force said in an official statement.

Helicopters of the Army were pressed into service to airdrop food packets in flood-hit villages of Punjab's Jalandhar district as they remain inundated because of breaches in the earthen embankments of the Sutlej river.

The food packets comprising 36,000 'paranthas', 18,000 packets of dry ration and water bottles were transported to Jalandhar Cantt Wednesday morning.

From there it was loaded into six Army helicopters under the supervision of the deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police, an official release said.

Later, the Army helicopters airdropped the packets in the worst affected villages of the Shahkot sub-division, including Chakk Badala, Jania, Jania Chahal, Mehrajwala, Gatta Mundi Kasu, Mundi Kasu, Mundi Shehriya, Mundi Chohlian, Kang Khurd, Jalalpur, Theh Khushalgarh, Gatti Raipur, Kotha, Fatehpur Bhagwan, it said.

Officials said airdropping of food packets will continue in the marooned villages with the help of the Army till the situation normalises.

The district administration had on Tuesday sought the help of the Army for airdropping of the food packets.