Water level in Pong dam dips by 2 feet but outflow still high

Hoshiarpur, Sep 7 (PTI) The water level in the Pong dam dropped by around two feet to 1,392.20 feet though it remained two feet more than its upper limit capacity of 1,390 feet on Sunday evening, officials said.

On Saturday, the water level in the Pong dam, built on the Beas river, was 1,394.19 feet.

Water inflow in the dam dropped to 36,968 cusecs from 47,162 cusecs on Saturday, while around 90,000 cusecs was being released into Shah Nehar barrage, officials said.

Water level in the Bhakra dam on Sunday was 1,677.98 feet as against 1,678.14 feet on Saturday. The water flow in the Bhakra dam, built on the Sutlej river, stood at 66,891 cusecs and the outflow was 70,000 cusecs, the officials said.

Low-lying areas of Tanda and Mukerian subdivisions have been worst affected, with paddy, sugarcane and maize crops suffering extensive damage.

Villages such as Gandhowal, Rara Mand, Talhi, Salempur, Abdullapur, Mewa Miani and Fatta Kulla in Tanda, along with Motla, Haler Janardhan, Sanial, Kolian, Naushehra and Mehtabpur in Mukerian, remain inundated.

According to the district administration, 173 villages have been declared flood-affected -- 55 in Garhshankar, 35 in Mukerian, 26 in Tanda, 28 in Dasuya and 29 in Hoshiarpur. Nearly 8,322 hectares of farmland has been impacted.

So far, 2,497 people have been affected, of whom 1,615 have been evacuated to safer places. A total of 941 people are currently housed in four relief camps. The floods have damaged or destroyed 140 houses, while four cattle sheds have also collapsed.

Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain Sunday asked the Punjab Mandi Board to urgently begin work on two major roads'”the Fattakulla-Tanda highway link and the Abdullapur-Ibrahimpur-Miani stretch.

She said that both the Punjab governor and the chief minister, during their visits to the flood-hit district recently had promised these road projects on priority to ensure uninterrupted connectivity and safer passage for schoolchildren.

The DC urged the board to fast-track approvals so that construction could commence without delay.

In her communication to the Board's executive engineer, Jain noted that the Fattakulla-Tanda road was in a highly dilapidated state, creating severe problems for residents, farmers and transporters.

Its reconstruction, she said, would not only ease travel but also secure timely supply of produce to mandis.

She added that the poor condition of the Abdullapur-Ibrahimpur-Miani road was similarly disrupting daily movement of people and goods, and strengthening it would directly benefit the rural economy.

The DC said a detailed survey was under way to assess losses.

She assured that compensation would be extended to affected families and added that all departments were working in coordination to provide timely relief and rescue support. She maintained that the situation remained under control. PTI COR CHS NB NB