Water level recedes in Beas river, situation show some improvement in flooded areas of Hoshiarpur

Hoshiarpur, Sep 2 (PTI) With the Pong dam releasing nearly 30,000 cusecs less water into the Shah Canal barrage on Tuesday, the flood situation in Mukerian, Dasuya and Tanda subdivisions showed slight improvement as the water level of the Beas river receded, said officials.

However, wide swathes of farmland in low-lying villages continued to remain submerged, leaving crops damaged and fields waterlogged.

Large stretches of agricultural land in several villages of Tanda and Mukerian subdivisions remain inundated, damaging standing paddy, sugarcane and other crops.

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

Officials said the water level in the Pong dam stood at 1,391.02 feet on Tuesday evening -- still slightly above the danger mark of 1,390 feet. The inflow was recorded at 94,956 cusecs, while outflow into Shah Canal barrage was 80,000 cusecs.

According to the district administration, 111 villages have so far been declared flood-affected -- 24 in Garhshankar, 31 in Mukerian, 21 in Dasuya, 25 in Tanda and 10 in Hoshiarpur subdivisions. Nearly 5,971 hectares of farmland has been damaged.

Out of a population of 1,816 affected, 1,615 people have been evacuated to safety. Ten relief camps are functioning across the district, housing 1,041 people.

The administration said 29 houses have been fully damaged, while eight others suffered severe damage and one was partially damaged.

Two cattle sheds were also destroyed. Household articles in some homes across five villages in Hoshiarpur tehsil were damaged due to the floods.

Garhshankar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sanjiv Kumar said floodwater has receded from village habitations following a decline in rainfall since Monday evening, though some fields and roads were still waterlogged.

He said that once water completely recedes, the damage to infrastructure and crops would be fully assessed.

As many as 24 villages in Garhshankar subdivision were affected by floods triggered by the overflowing of 'choes' (seasonal rivulets) and breaches in protection bunds at some locations, officials added.

In Alawarpur village, sarpanch Satnam Singh said floodwater from nearby 'choes' had entered parts of the village and drained out very slowly.

Residents arranged for a JCB machine to clear a siphon on the canal, which allowed water to flow out faster on Tuesday afternoon.

He said 15-20 houses were flooded and the affected families took shelter either in houses on higher ground or in the local gurdwara, where they also cooked meals.

Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said compensation would be provided after assessment of losses, and added that all departments were working in coordination to ensure timely relief and rescue operations in flood-hit areas of the district.

DC Jain said the overall situation was under control and assured that immediate relief and restoration work was being carried out. PTI COR CHS SKY SKY