Water level in Pong dam recedes by 2 feet, relief measures gain momentum in Hoshiarpur

Hoshiarpur, Aug 30 (PTI) The water level in the Pong dam in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district stood at 1,391.62 feet on Saturday evening, which was around two feet lower than what it was on Thursday, officials said.

However, the water level was still above the danger mark of 1,390 feet, they said.

The water inflow, which was recorded at 1.76 lakh cusecs on Saturday morning, reduced to 1.17 lakh cusecs by evening, while the outflow into the Shah Nehar barrage was 1.10 lakh cusecs, the officials said.

The flood situation across Punjab turned alarming after water levels surged in the major dams of the region, including Bhakra, Pong, Ranjit Sagar, and Shahpur Kandi.

Meanwhile, flood relief measures gained momentum in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district on Saturday with the administration launching a ‘Charda Suraj’ campaign in coordination with the Red Cross Society and several NGOs, reaching 1,225 people affected in the district.

According to officials, langar (community kitchen) services, cattle fodder and essential supplies are being provided by different organisations, including the Red Cross Society, Unnati Cooperative Sabha, Baba Deep Singh Welfare Society, Guru Nanak Sewa Society, Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Humanity First, and Sarbat Da Bhala Sewa Society, among others.

Volunteers from Civil Defence and Baba Deep Singh Welfare Society also assisted in evacuating residents to safer areas.

Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said 375 people at Abdullapur village in Tanda were given tarpaulins and hygiene kits, while relief material was distributed to 150 people in Changadwan, 300 in Mehtabpur, 100 each in Haled and Miani Malah, and 200 in Kolian.

At the Changadwan relief camp, the Unnati Cooperative Sabha has been arranging three daily meals for 150 residents, officials said.

Health services have been prioritised, with eight medical camps held so far. Mobile health teams are distributing medicines, ORS packets and chlorine tablets, while 16 rapid response teams and 24 mobile teams are on standby to deal with emergencies, the official said.

“Our aim is not only to provide relief but also to assure families that the administration and the community stand firmly with them,” Jain said.

Floodwaters inundated farmlands at several villages in Tanda and Mukerian subdivisions, causing damage to standing paddy, sugarcane and other crops.

Villages, including Gandhowal, Rara Mand, Talhi, Salempur, Abdullapur, Mewa Miani and Fatta Kulla in Tanda, and Motla, Haler Janardhan, Sanial, Kolian, Naushehra and Mehtabpur in Mukerian, are among the worst hit.

The district administration said 5,287 hectares of agricultural land has been affected.

David Masih from Kolian village said the Beas river’s water level suddenly rose on Friday night, worsening the flooding in the village.

“Water rose to hip level in several areas, forcing nearly 100 women and children to take shelter in the Ladpur gurdwara on Manjhpura road. While some families moved to a few elevated houses, many others were compelled to sleep on their rooftops to protect their belongings,” he said.

Jaswinder Singh, the sarpanch of Naushehra village, said an embankment built to protect the village was breached when water was released from Pong dam for the first time this season.

“We hired an excavator on our own and filled the breached portion with soil to strengthen it. Still, nearly 2,000 acres of sugarcane crop have been damaged as floodwater has remained in the fields for several days,” he said, adding that some houses on the riverside on the outskirts of the village remain inundated despite reinforcement of the embankment.

According to the district administration, a total of 86 villages have been hit by floods -- 31 in Mukerian, 20 in Dasuya and 25 in Tanda. PTI COR CHS ARI ARI