The ravaging deluge in parts of Punjab and Haryana have so far claimed 32 lives and despite flood water receding in worst-hit Ambala and Kurukshetra districts, the situation continued to remain worrisome with flooding of new areas on Friday, officials said.
About 12 villages in Haryana’s Fatehabad district were submerged in flood waters as a breach occurred in a dam on Ghaggar river at Rampura village.
Some parts of Moga in Punjab were also affected due to the breach as flood waters reached Nihalsingwala area.
The Sirsa district administration is keeping a close watch on the situation in the wake of river Ghaggar flowing close to the danger-mark there.
Flood threat loomed in Kaithal town where a breach occurred in Hansi-Butana link canal.
Many areas in Patiala and Sangrur districts in Punjab were still submerged under water.
However, flood situation in Haryana’s Ambala district is improving with water level in urban as well as rural areas coming down considerably.
The Army plugged the breach in the Satluj Yamuna Link which had flooded areas in Ambala and Kurukshetra districts.
Trains on the Ambala-Delhi rail section were restored and the Ambala—Hisar national highway was opened for light vehicles after a road portion, washed away near Naggal village, was repaired, they said.
21 people died in flood-related deaths in Punjab, while 11 died in neighbouring Haryana, officials said.
Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today reviewed the flood situation and requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately send a central team to assess the loss in the state.
More than 566 villages were submerged in flood waters in the state, destroying crops in over two lakh acres of land, he said, adding that according to initial estimates Punjab has suffered loss of more than Rs 350 crore.
Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had visited Ratta Khera Kadma area in Kaithal district yesterday, had ordered a ‘Girdawari’ (revenue assessment) to assess the loss caused due to the floods.
According to officials, the loss due to the floods in the State is likely to cross Rs. 1,000 crore.
