A few villages in Punjab’s border district Ferozepur are facing flood threat after a major portion of an embankment in the catchment area of the Sutlej river was washed away following Pakistan’s release of water into the Indian territory.
High alert
Officials on Sunday said the Ferozepur district administration was on high alert, while precautionary deployment of the NDRF and the Army teams had been made in view of the flood threat which loomed large in some villages.
“Pakistan has released water in huge quantity which caused damage to the embankment in Tendiwala village, and there is danger of floods in some villages,” a spokesperson of the Punjab government said.
“Being on guard, the district administration has announced evacuation in most sensitive villages along the Sutlej river as a precautionary step besides deploying various teams of the health department, food and civil supplies department and others,” he said.
CM reviews
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has asked the Water Resources Department to work out a joint action plan with the Army to strengthen the embankment at the village on the Pakistan border.
Presiding over a high-level meeting to review the flood situation in Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Rupnagar districts, he directed the Principal Secretary, Water Resources, to ensure strengthening of Tendiwala embankment on a war-footing to avert the flooding of nearby villages, an official statement said.
The Chief Minister also directed the Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner to keep NDRF teams on standby to meet any exigency arising out of the floods.
“In the wake of the damage to the embankment due to heavy discharge of water from the Pakistan side, the strengthening work of Tendiwala embankment is being undertaken,” the spokesperson said.
A few days ago, as many as 17 villages of Ferozepur district were flooded after Pakistan opened headworks gates in its area on the Sutlej river.
Several villages of Ferozepur remain already inundated because of the recent rains and breaches in embankments of the river.
