Punjab Floods: PM Modi to Visit Affected Areas, 46 Lives Lost So Far, 2000 Villages Submerged
Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): Punjab is in the grip of severe floods these days. About 1,996 villages in 23 districts of the state have been completely submerged. So far 46 people have died, while standing crops in more than 1.75 lakh hectares have been completely destroyed. Amidst this disaster, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gurdaspur district on September 9 and will take stock of the situation as well as talk to the affected people and farmers.
According to officials, due to continuous heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the rivers Ravi, Sutlej and Beas have swelled, causing a serious flood-like situation in many areas of Punjab. Heavy rains in the state for the last few days have made the situation even worse.
State Finance Minister Harpreet Singh Cheema has termed it as the most severe flood in the last five decades. He said that about 2,000 villages in the state have seen the impact of the floods and about 3.87 lakh people have been affected by it. There has been huge damage to crops, livestock, houses and infrastructure.
According to Cheema, so far 22,854 people have been evacuated to safer places. More than 200 camps have been set up across the state for relief, where more than 7,000 people have taken shelter. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army, Border Security Force and Punjab Police are jointly engaged in relief and rescue operations in the flood-affected areas. 144 boats are being used in relief operations.
The condition of the dams is also being monitored. The water level of Pong Dam has decreased to 1,394.19 feet on Saturday, which is still four feet above its maximum limit of 1,390 feet. At the same time, the water level of Bhakra Dam has been recorded at 1,678.14 feet. The flow of water from these dams is still at a high level.
A 50-year-old man died after being swept away by the strong currents in Tali Ghulam village of Ferozepur district. The situation in the riverside villages in the district is extremely serious. The government says that the floods have dealt a severe blow to the agricultural economy of the state. A special relief package is expected from the central government in the coming days, especially after the visit of Prime Minister Modi.