Water discharge from Harike headworks reduced by 19,000 cusecs, says Punjab minister

Fazilka/Kapurthala, Aug 30 (PTI) Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Saturday visited the flood-hit villages in the border district of Fazilka to review relief and rescue operations, and said the water discharge from Harike headworks has decreased by 19,000 cusecs.

The minister travelled to the affected areas in Ghurka village in a tractor-trolley and interacted with the residents to understand their concerns.

The water discharge from Harike headworks has reduced by 19,000 cusecs, and currently 2,44,000 cusecs of water is being released, Khuddian said.

Harike headworks is located at the confluence of Sutlej and Beas rivers and irrigates the desert region of Rajasthan via the Indira Gandhi Canal.

Khuddian assured that the Punjab government is committed to extending every possible assistance to the flood-hit areas.

Various departmental teams are present in the affected villages and are actively working to ensure the supply of essential items and fodder for livestock, he said.

The district administration has set up eight relief camps, where arrangements for 'langar' (community kitchens) have been made and ration and other relief materials are being provided, he said.

Khuddian said a special 'girdawari' (loss assessment) has already been ordered for assessing crop damage. Details of damage to houses will also be compiled to provide compensation accordingly, he said.

He said teams of agriculture and animal husbandry departments have also been deployed in all the affected villages.

Fazilka MLA Narinder Pal Singh Sawna said relief operations are being carried out on a war footing.

In Kapurthala, Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal said door-to-door distribution of ration and other essential items is being undertaken to reach people who have not yet been able to get out of the flood-affected villages in Sultanpur Lodhi.

The officer said about 1,200 members of 240 families have been evacuated from the affected villages in Sultanpur Lodhi. Some people remain in their homes and the administration is using boats to reach them, he said.

Panchal said he is receiving hourly reports from the drainage department regarding the inflow of water in the Beas river and the work for further strengthening 'Dhussi bundh' (earthen embankments) in some areas is going on a war footing.

Sartaj Singh, senior official of the drainage department, said, "Dhussi embankments in Kapurthala district are completely safe and there is no threat to them." PTI CHS DIV DIV