Chandigarh: Heavy rainfall lashed several parts of Punjab and Haryana for the third consecutive day on Monday causing floods in many areas as administration has deployed the Army to combat the prevailing situation.
Many low-lying areas of Punjab and Haryana have been inundated due to the incessant rainfall. All schools in Punjab will remain closed till July 13. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rainfall is a result of the monsoons and the western disturbances. Yesterday, Chandigarh recorded a 23-year highest rainfall in 24 hours.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who is visiting flood-affected areas in Mohali and Rupnagar appealed people not to panic and assured that all possible help will be provided by the state government. On the other hand, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has cancelled all pre-scheduled programmes and called an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation.
After receiving reports of some tourists from Haryana being stranded in Manali, Khattar spoke to his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and later informed that all were safe. Haryana government has advised people to go out of their houses only if necessary. The worse-hit districts in Punjab and Haryana are Mohali, Patiala, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Panchkula and Ambala.
In both Punjab and Haryana, water overflowed from canals and drains and entered people's houses along with inundating the agricultural fields. At a few places, people were evacuated to safer locations. The rainfall also led to traffic congestion on many roads of the two states. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed in many areas.
Punjab chief minister has directed the ministers, deputy commissioners, senior superintendents of police and other concerned officials to visit the flood-affected areas and provide necessary assistance to the people. Haryana government has set up a flood control room in view of three rivers namely Markanda, Ghaggar and Tangri reportedly flowing close to the danger mark in Ambala. Similar control rooms were set in Punjab.
In Patiala, a 700 MW unit in Rajpura Thermal Power Plant had to be shutdown as rainwater entered the premises. Also, patients had to be relocated to other hospitals after floodwater breached premises of a private hospital in the area. A bus overturned due to water-logging in Hamidpur on Ambala-Yamuna Nagar road but all passengers were safely evacuated by police.
Also Read: Delhi rains: Predictions indicate flood situation won’t arise, says CM Kejriwal
Nearly 200 acres of agricultural fields have been submerged in water in Bandala in Jandiala Guru. The IMD has predicted strong winds along with rains in Sangrur, Dhuri, Malerkotla, Samana, Patiala, Nabha, Rajpura, Samrala, Rupnagar, Balachor, Ludhiana West, Phillaur, Phagwara, Nawanshahr, Anandpur Sahib, Garhshankar, Nangal and Hoshiarpur.
Heavy downpour has led to the rise in water level in Yamuna river at Hathini Kund Barrage. Around 2.79 cusecs of water was released from the barrage at around 8 am today. Two floodgates had to be opened following rainfall in the catchment areas of Sukhna Lake.
