Breach in Ghaggar, 20 villages inundated

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Prime VIP
Patiala, July 6

Incessant rain over the past two days has led to a breach in the Ghaggar at Sarala Kalan, near Ghanour, thereby flooding over 20 villages. Water has inundated Mahiduda, Haripur Jhungian, Sarala, Seel, Rathian and Jarikpur villages.

Patiala DC Dipinder Singh visited the area and directed the administration officials to get done the ‘girdawri’ of affected villages. He also directed the Drainage Department officials to plug the breach at the earliest.

Earlier, there were reports that the water level in the Ghaggar was nearing the danger mark due to incessant rain in Patiala and its surrounding areas for the past two days. Though the district administration authorities and the Drainage Department officials said the situation was under control, flash floods looked staring in the face.

However, Patiala Deputy Commissioner Dipinder Singh denied any breach, but it was learnt that there had been a breach in a distributary of the Ghaggar near Rajpura, following which some villages had been inundated. The Ghaggar has remained untamed so far and due to heavy rains it had flooded the Sarala Kalan area in September last year as well.

Speaking to The Tribune, XEN Drainage Department Ashwani Singla said, “The water level in Ghanaur is at 16 ft 5 inches, which is just below the danger level of 16 ft 6 inches. But the past experience shows that the water overflows only when it exceeds 18 ft mark here”.

Singla further said in case the region received more rain in the next 24 hours, then the situation might get worrisome, adding that a lot depends upon the weather in Himachal Pradesh as well.

“There are reports of heavy downpour in Himachal. So next 24 hours will be crucial,” he said, adding that as precautionary measures, the flood control centres by the administration as well as the Police Department had already been set up. The DC stated that the situation was completely under control and the officials had been asked to maintain a vigil on the Ghaggar water level.

Kharar-Banur highway damaged, traffic disrupted

Mohali, July 6

Heavy rain during the past two days has damaged Kharar-Banur section of the state highway, affecting the flow of traffic on the busy road.

The road also caved in at Dairi and Landhran, causing damage to property and machinery of a private company that is undertaking widening of the Kharar-Banur-Tepla highway and has been closed to traffic.

With heavy discharge in seasonal rivulets crisscrossing the area, the newly built road under a world bank project was marooned at several places, damaging electricity poles and other government installations.

On Tuesday, a trail of destruction was visible in the area. Several fields in the area were marooned damaging paddy crop. The problem aggravated with the rainwater entering several villages and damaging link roads.

At Tangori village, rainwater marooned over one km-long road stretch. The villagers complained that due to major flaw in the design, the road level at Tangori suddenly lowers, resulting in rainwater damaging the road section. “Since crores of rupees were being spent on the project, the road level should have been increased depending upon the past experiences,” pointed out the villagers. It would take another few more days before the road was opened to traffic.

PWD Executive Engineer APS Brar said there was certain problem in the road section. “I will be check it design before commenting on the issue,” he added.

Life out of gear in Ropar

Ropar, July 6

Rain continued to create flood-like situation in the areas of Chamkaur Sahib, Nurpur Bedi and Ropar, especially those lying along the Swan rivulet. The traffic moving on the road, damaged near Shamspur (Kiri di Kishti) village at Chamkaur Sahib due to rain, has been diverted. Chamkaur Sahib SDM JC Sabharwal said it would take around a week to repair the road. In the meantime, the administration has diverted route of the traffic. Sabharwal added that cement pipes would be laid on the road.

Traffic bound from Ropar to Neelon has now been diverted, via Morinda and vice-versa. He added that the traffic moving from Neelon to Chamkaur Sahib would have to come through the Behlolpur bridge, covering Behlolpur, Kotla Surmukh Singh, Kiri Afgana, Dholran villages and further Chamkaur Sahib.

Similarly, traffic bound from Chamkaur Sahib to Neelon would have to take the route of Bassi Gujran, Manauli, Shamaspur, Manaula, Nanowal Kalan and Behlolpur villages, which is 6 km additional to the earlier route. The Drainage Department has asserted to install signboards at the above routes.

Many villages were left inundated due to ongoing work of widening of Kurali-Kiratpur Sahib stretch. The company laying this stretch had dumped its construction material on roadside, thereby blocking the natural flow of water.

SDM Ropar Anindita Mitra visited the affected areas of Kotla Nihang, Basant Nagar and Sadavart and directed that all obstructions to flow of water be cleaned. The villagers rued that they have been raising hue and cry against the blocked water flow, but no one paid attention to their demands. “Now when we have suffered the losses, administration has realised that indeed the construction company has done wrong. These company officials should be booked for acting in a negligent manner,” said Jaswinder Singh from Kotla Nihang.
 
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