Punjab: Governor Kataria visits flood-hit areas in Hoshiarpur, assures all possible help to affected families

Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Sep 4 (PTI) Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria Thursday said the state was facing one of its most severe flood crises in recent years as he visited flood-hit areas of Tanda here and assured all possible assistance to affected families.

Kataria first inspected the Rara bridge and reviewed the condition of the 'Dhussi bundh' (earthen embankment), where he interacted with farmers about their problems.

He later visited a relief camp set up at a government school in village Miani, where he interacted with residents as well as volunteers from NGOs engaged in relief work and appreciated their services.

Five relief camps are operational in the district where around 1,000 people have taken shelter, he said.

Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain also gave a detailed presentation on the flood situation in the district to the governor.

Speaking to reporters, Kataria said Punjab was witnessing one of the gravest flood situations in recent memory.

"Even in 2023 we had floods, but this time the situation is more severe. Due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas, much more water had to be released not only from the Pong Dam but also from the Bhakra and Ranjit Sagar dams. Hoshiarpur has been badly affected due to Pong Dam releases.

"It was the compulsion of dam authorities to discharge water, but now there is a system of hourly alerts so that people can be forewarned and saved from sudden surges," he said.

The governor said he met flood-hit families in camps personally and assured them of complete government support. He noted that even those living in temporary shelters after their houses were inundated were receiving state assistance.

Kataria underlined that legislators and district administration teams in Hoshiarpur were working round the clock to ensure relief, while the Punjab government and the Centre were coordinating their efforts.

"The Punjab government's entire team is engaged day and night in rescue and relief work, while the Union agriculture minister and central teams are also visiting the affected areas," he said.

The governor assured that proposals sent by the district administration for compensation would be forwarded to the Union government for approval.

Highlighting technical issues, he said that heavy inflows often caused soil erosion on both sides of the Beas, leading to major losses. Poor drainage systems also delayed the recession of floodwater from villages, he noted.

He said concrete steps would be taken to strengthen drainage in flood-prone areas, adding that a proposal would be moved for stone pitching near the Beas bridge to protect the Dhussi bundh from erosion in future.

Kataria further said that those whose houses have been damaged would be considered under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Meanwhile, officials said the overall flood situation in Hoshiarpur district remained unchanged since Tuesday, though water level in the Pong Dam rose further on Thursday evening following heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh.

The dam level stood at 1,394.68 feet,” above the danger mark of 1,390 feet,” with an inflow of 1,07,205 cusecs and outflow of 99,673 cusecs into the Shah Canal barrage, they said. PTI COR CHS KVK KVK