Large parts of Punjab's Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Rupnagar districts were inundated on Wednesday following the release of excess water from the Bhakra and the Pong dams. More than 2,000 people have been rescued till now from low-lying areas of these districts with the help of National Disaster Response Force, Army and the BSF.
The Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river and the Pong dam on the Beas river -- both in Himachal Pradesh -- are brimming after heavy rain in their respective catchment areas. The water level in the Beas and the Sutlej rivers rose following the release of water from the dams' reservoirs.
Flood-affected areas in Punjab
In Hoshiarpur, farmlands, link roads and villages near the banks of the Beas in Mukerian, Tanda, Dayua and Talwara are inundated, officials said, prompting closure of educational institutions in these areas until August 18. The Gurdaspur district administration announced holidays in government and private schools in flood-hit villages till further orders.
In the Mukerian block, villages including Haler Janardhan, Motla, Miani Malaha, Kolian, Simbli and Mehtabpur, have been submerged under four to five feet water. Evacuation work in about 17 villages of Talwara, Mukerian, Dasuya and Tanda areas has been done. More than 2,500 inhabitants of the flood-affected villages have been sent to relief camps and safer places.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said his government was keeping a close watch on the flood situation, and added that rescue and relief operations are underway in the flood-hit areas.
