Punjab, Haryana receive more rain; relief work underway in flood-hit areas

Chandigarh, Sep 2 (PTI) A fresh spell of rain lashed several parts of flood-hit Punjab and Haryana where swollen rivers have inundated large tracts of land and disrupted normal life, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the weather department, several places in the two states received rain during the 24-hour period ending 8:30 am Tuesday.

Among other places in Punjab, Amritsar received 18.3 mm rain, Patiala 70.5 mm, Bathinda 5 mm, Faridkot 1 mm, Gurdaspur 32.8 mm, Mansa 10 mm while Mohali had 44.5 mm rain.

Among other places in Haryana, during past 24 hours, Gurugram received 81 mm rain, Ambala 32.2 mm, Hisar 35.1 mm, Karnal 23.6 mm, Narnaul 32 mm, Rohtak 42.2 mm, Nuh 57 mm, Panchkula 40 mm while Sirsa had 24.5 mm rain.Chandigarh received 40.8 mm rain during this period.

Punjab is under the grip of massive floods, caused by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets due to heavy rain in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Villages worst-affected by the floods were in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar districts.

Relief and rescue operations by the NDRF, Army, BSF, Punjab Police and district authorities are underway in the affected areas.

The Punjab government had on Monday announced closure of all colleges, universities and polytechnic institutes till September 3 in the wake of continuous heavy rainfall across the state.

In view of the inclement weather, all schools of UT Chandigarh shall remain closed for academic purposes on September 2, an official statement by the UT administration had said on Monday.

In Haryana too, as a precautionary measure, schools have been ordered to remain closed on Tuesday in some affected areas.

Incessant rains over the past few days have led to an increase in the water levels of some rivers, including the Yamuna, prompting Haryana authorities to open the floodgates of the Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar district on Monday.

The Hathnikund barrage discharged 3,29,313 cusec of water at 9 am on Monday. The flow of water in the Yamuna at the Hathnikund barrage on Monday was the highest recorded so far this monsoon. On Tuesday morning, it received a discharge of 1.76 lakh cusecs from the Barrage.

Officials said an alert had already been sounded and a strict vigil is being kept on villages falling in the catchment areas of the Yamuna in the district and some other districts, including Panipat, Sonipat and Faridabad.

The Haryana government on Monday directed all field officers to remain at their headquarters and maintain strict vigilance till September 5.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini Monday held a meeting with deputy commissioners through video conferencing, reviewed the rain and flood situation across the state, and gave necessary directions to the district administrations. PTI SUN DV DV