Punjab faces devastation as Sutlej and Ghaggar rivers overflow: Rescue operations in full swing
Chandigarh, July 11: Continuous rainfall for the third day in a row has resulted in severe devastation caused by the overflowing Ghaggar and Sutlej rivers in Punjab. In response, the State Disaster Response Force, along with the National Disaster Response Force and the Army, has been deployed to aid in rescue and relief efforts. Extensive agricultural land has been submerged throughout the state.
The district of Ropar recorded the highest rainfall at 546 mm, followed by Mohali at 401.6 mm. Gurdaspur received 190.3 mm, Fatehgarh Sahib 162.8 mm, and Pathankot 150.1 mm. Moga, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Sangrur are among the worst-hit districts. Multiple major breaches have been reported at the Narwana branch, Siswan rivulet, and Tiwana near Mohali.
Officials from the Irrigation Department have managed to contain several minor breaches, but breaches in the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal have resulted in flooding in areas near Rajpura. The downstream flow of the Ghaggar and Sutlej rivers has contributed to flooding in surrounding regions.
The water level at the Bhankhapur gauge of the Ghaggar initially dropped to 11,555 cusecs in the morning but rose to 1.22 lakh cusecs in the evening. As the water moved towards Patiala, the level reached 83,468 cusecs, leading to flooding in the district. Further downstream at Khanauri, the water level decreased to 8,350 cusecs.
Likewise, the Sutlej river continued to experience high water flow, reaching 1.81 lakh cusecs at the Ropar headworks. At Phillaur, the level rose to 2.45 lakh cusecs as water from the Siswan, Swan, Sirsa, Budhki, and Sangrao rivers entered the Sutlej at a rate of 1.30 lakh cusecs. This resulted in near-flood conditions in Nawanshahr and parts of the Ludhiana district.
Authorities are closely monitoring the water levels as the rivers flow towards Harike Pattan and Hussainiwala, where the levels reached 67,201 cusecs and 47,556 cusecs, respectively.
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- With inputs from agencies
