Hoshiarpur/ Ferozepur, Sep 1 (PTI) Fresh rain aggravated the flood situation in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, pushing water into more villages and damaging crops in low-lying areas, officials said on Monday.
Garhshankar and Hoshiarpur subdivisions remain the worst hit.
Floodwaters entered Hakumatpur, Baddon, Alawalpur, Bhana, Thakkarwal and Khanpur villages after overnight rain. In Bhana and Alawalpur, water entered homes.
“The administration has arranged food for the affected families and cooked meals are being served through nearby gurdwaras with official assistance,” said Garhshankar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sanjiv Kumar.
He said water levels receded on Sunday evening after the rain stopped briefly, but a fresh spell of heavy rain overnight compounded the woes. “Fields and streets in some villages are still under standing water,” he said.
In Hoshiarpur subdivision, SDM Gursimranjeet Kaur said a breach in the Kukran protection ‘bundh’ brought floodwaters into nearby areas.
“Fields and roads in Harta, Khanoura and Rajpur Bhaiyan villages have been inundated and in Rajpur Bhaiyan, a pond overflowed, leading to water entering homes,” she said.
According to the district administration, 100 villages have so far been declared flood-affected — 19 in Garhshankar, 31 in Mukerian, 21 in Dasuya and 25 in Tanda. A total of 5,971 hectares of farmland has been damaged.
Ten relief camps are functioning across the district, housing 1,041 people.
Officials said the water level in the Pong dam stood at 1,390.29 feet on Monday evening, slightly above the danger mark of 1,390 feet. The inflow and outflow were recorded at 99,900 cusecs each.
Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said compensation would be provided after immediate assessment of losses, and that all departments were working in coordination to ensure timely relief and rescue operations in the flood-hit areas of the district.
In the border district of Ferozepur, Special Secretary Health-cum-Managing Director, National Health Mission, Ghanshyam Thori visited the flood-hit areas to review the medical services being provided to people.
During his visit to a medical camp in Jallo Ke village, Thori interacted with the flood victims and inspected the health facilities.
He said that the health department has already supplied essential medicines, chlorine tablets and ORS to the affected population.
He directed officials to ensure that mobile medical teams once again visit every flood-hit village to conduct health check-ups and provide necessary medicines so that no one is deprived of treatment.
He emphasised that special attention is being given to the safe deliveries of pregnant women.
Thori said the district administration and the health department are fully geared up to deal with the situation.
He said the state government has already released funds for medicines and other health facilities for the flood victims.
“The Punjab government stands firmly with its people in this hour of crisis,” he said.
Around 400 medical camps have been organised so far where over 8,700 patients have been examined and given medicines, Thori said.
Four mobile medical teams have been stationed at the district headquarters, while 60 medical teams are actively reaching flood-affected villages. In addition, 10 reserve mobile teams have been constituted, the officer said. PTI COR CHS DIV DIV
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