CHANDIGARH: There is little reprieve for those affected by floods in Punjab with fresh breaches in the Sutlej inundating at least three dozen villages, mainly in Tarn Taran and Fazilka districts, today.
The situation in the Sutlej continues to be precarious in Ferozepur district as well, with the authorities keeping a close watch on vulnerable locations along the dhussi bundh.
The total number of people affected by floods due to release of water from the Bhakra and Pong dams has been put at more than 70,000.
A 55-year-old woman, Orobai, died of shock after her house collapsed at Kamalewala in the border belt of Ferozepur. Also, two women with their newborn infants were evacuated by teams of the NDRF and brought for medical care to the town.
Official sources confirmed at least 20,000 residents of nearly a dozen villages in Fazilka district were facing fresh inflow of floodwaters due to heavy discharge from the Hussainiwala headworks. These are now connected to the mainland only through boats. At 1,391.33 feet, water in Pong dam continued to flow above the maximum limit of 1,390 feet. However, officials said it was not a cause for major concern for now. The water level at Bhakra dam stood at 1,673.65 feet, slightly below 1,674.42 feet recorded yesterday.
A fresh breach in the Sutlej was reported near Ghadum village in Tarn Taran district, which had yesterday witnessed a 400-foot breach. The breach spread to more than 900 feet today. At least 20,000 acres in as many as 19 villages have been badly affected. All 17 families of Harsa Bela Vazir Basti village in Ropar district today abandoned their homes and shifted to higher places with their livestock in the wake of rising floodwaters.
The dhussi bundh, a layer of protection along the Sutlej in Ferozepur, is said to have weakened at several points, largely due to human interference, and is being close watched by the district administration.