Flood situation worsens in Punjab, schools in seven districts closed

Chandigarh, Aug 26 (IANS) With the flood situation worsening in Punjab along the swollen Beas, Sutlej and Ravi rivers after the controlled release of water from crucial dams and the incessant monsoon rains, the district administration on Tuesday closed all schools in seven districts.

These districts were Amritsar, Fazilka, Pathankot, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted more rainfall in the coming days, keeping officials on high alert as rivers and rivulets remain in spate across the state.

Cabinet Minister Baljit Kaur and Fazilka legislator Narinder Pal Singh Sawna on Monday visited flood-affected villages Teja Ruhela and Chakk Ruhela, where they distributed relief material, including cattle feed, to support the affected families.

Minister Kaur said due to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, around 1.7 lakh cusecs of water have been released from Harike headworks, which is expected to reach the Fazilka district through Sutlej Creek by Tuesday, further raising the water level.

She appealed to residents to move women, children, and elderly people to safer places immediately. The minister said the state government has set up relief camps across the district, while teams from Health, Animal Husbandry, Water Supply and Sanitation, and Revenue Departments are actively working in the villages.

Special arrangements are being made to provide feed and medical care to pregnant women, lactating women and children.

Legislator Sawna said the government is committed to extending all possible support to the affected population. He said ration kits, cattle feed, and green fodder are being distributed on priority, and added the District Flood Control Room is operational and can be contacted at 01638-262153 for any assistance.

The government has announced a special ‘girdawari’ to assess crop and property losses in flood-affected regions. The Fazilka authorities have also implemented ‘Thikri Pehra (community policing)' in vulnerable villages as a precautionary measure.

--IANS

vg/dpb