Flood water recedes but fresh rains a cause for worry

As flood waters started receding in the affected areas around the Ghaggar river along the Punjab-Haryana border,the Army was sent back on Monday. The relief measures are now being handled by the National Disaster Response Force and the district administration. The Army has been called in by the Sangrur administration.

With the Ghaggar flowing at 749.9 feet,which is below the danger level of 751 feet at Khanauri in Sangrur district,boats have also been withdrawn. The Patran-Moonak road,which was under four-feet water till Sunday was made operational as water level was less than one foot.

Standing crops in an area of more than 30,000 acres have been washed away and around 3,000 tubewells were submerged in the Moonak subdivision.

Timely intervention of the district authorities in Sangrur saved the situation from taking an ugly turn late on Sunday night at Kalia village,bordering Dangarh under Mansa district,when the residents of Dangarh were trying to breach a dam to change the direction of flood water. Deputy Commissioner Harkesh Sidhu managed to pacify the villagers.

In the flooded areas of Patiala district,boats being operated by the Disaster Response Force were functional only in Chacharwal and Harnetu villages of Patran tehsil.

Assistant Commandant of the Disaster Response Force Lokendra Singh said: “We will continue with the relief operation and facilitate the visits of medical teams to the flooded villages till fresh instructions from the authorities are received.”

The fresh rains hampered relief work in many affected villages. The authorities admitted that the work on plugging the earlier breaches in Ghaggar,Hansi-Butana canal and other drains could not be carried out.

Blame game on
Even as Haryana and Punjab accuse each other of flooding each other’s areas,politicians of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the Opposition Congress in Punjab are playing another blame game. Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon has not only charged former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh with not coming out in support of the flood-affected people in his home district Patiala,he also lashed out at Leader of the Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal for “not coming to the aid of the people and instead doing politics over their plight”. Bhattal had accused the SAD of siphoning off funds meant for flood measures. Earlier,Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singh Singla also alleged misuse and misappropriation of the flood relief money on part of the Akali government.