Landslides, waterlogging and damage to key roads reported in the district
The record rain that lashed Panchkula on Thursday night caused landslides, waterlogging and damage to key roads in the district.
A major landslide disrupted traffic on the Panchkula-Morni road. The Industrial Park-Barwala road caved in. Authorities cleared the debris to restore normal traffic movement of traffic.
A section of the highway near the Jhuriwala dumping ground also caved in due to waterlogging.
Experts expressed concern that rainwater seeping through the garbage at the dumping site is contaminating the subsoil. They fear, it could pollute tubewell water used for drinking purpose across Panchkula. Residents have urged for immediate testing of water samples.
A large portion of the bridge on the Khatauli-Alipur road was washed away. A swollen tributary of the Ghaggar river caused extensive damage to road infrastructure, snapping connectivity of local areas with the Panchkula.
Meanwhile, images circulating on social media highlighted cracks near the newly built Ghaggar bridge connecting Peer Muchalla and Sector 26. Earlier also during the onset of monsoon this year, the same part of the bridge had suffered damage.
Engineers, however, told The Tribune that part of the embankment was washed away, not the bridge.
Severe waterlogging was also reported in Sector 15. Uprooted trees blocked the Sectors 11-14 road, leading to traffic chaos during the morning hours.
Meanwhile, teams of the Panchkula administration carried out repairs to restore road connectivity. However, experts warned that recurring soil erosion at the embankments points to a structural weakness, requiring long-term rectification measures.
17 schools closed
DC Monika Gupta has announced the closure of several schools in Morni, Raipur Rani and Barwala on Saturday as heavy rain left their premises waterlogged. Government Senior Secondary Schools in Barwala, and Parwala; primary schools in Marog, Khopar, Bijlag, Sahlon, Samlotha, Shilyon, Chaplana, Chhamla, Teepra, Runja Dakar, Slahon Redua, Mohri and Plasara; and middle schools in Singhwala as well as Prempura will remain closed.
Pak army chief says flood-hit Sikh religious sites, including Kartarpur, to be restored fully
Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Friday said Sikh religious sites, including Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, hit by the massive floods would be restored to their original shape.
Field Marshal Munir, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), visited flood-affected areas of Punjab province, including Sialkot sector, Shakargarh, Narowal and Kartarpur, to review the flood situation and the ongoing rescue and relief efforts, according to a statement by the army.
Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, has been reeling under severe floods for almost a week. As of Friday, at least 22 people have died over the last 24 hours and at least 1,700 villages across the province, including the Sikh sacred site of Kartarpur, were inundated.
The COAS was given a comprehensive brief on the prevailing situation and the preparations in view of the next spell of rains.Munir interacted with the affected Sikh community of the area and “assured them that all religious sites, including Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, affected during floods will be completely revived to their original condition on priority,” the statement said.
The Sikh community welcomed the COAS at the Sialkot sector and thanked him for the services being extended by the civil administration and the Army during the calamity.
Pakistan opened the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019.
Around 4.1 kilometres from the Pakistan-India border, the corridor links Pakistan’s Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, where Guru Nanak lived and died at the start of the 16th century, to Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.
The 4 km-long corridor provides visa-free access to Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
Local administration and the army personnel on Wednesday rescued around 150 officials and Sikh pilgrims stranded after floodwaters from the Ravi submerged the entire complex of the Kartarpur corridor, including the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
Army deployed in Sultanpur Lodhi as water level rises in Beas river
More than 2,000 farmers, families waiting for evacuation from flood-affected areas
Panchal said the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team today evacuated 100 persons from flood-affected villages.
Panchal said 60 persons were shifted by followers of Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal to safer places. He said situation was under control and there was nothing to worry about safety of affected persons still living in marooned villages.
Seeing the gravity of situation Panchal requisitioned the Army to help the district administration in the evacuation process. Water level in swollen Beas river further rose to 2.30 lakh cusec this morning endangering lives of 2,000 persons living in marooned villages in the mand area of Sultanpur Lodhi. Seechewal followers and the administration pressed eight motor boats into service for evacuating people from flood-affected villages.
SDRF teams were also deployed to save the lives of affected families who were earlier reluctant to leave their houses as they feared that burglars would strike at their residences in their absence.
Seechewal said now affected farmers were asking to rescue them on seeing water level rise from 8-10 feet in the Beas river. He said there was shortage of motor boats. Eight boats were insufficient to evacuate such a large number of people, he said.
A breach in temporary bundh raised by farmers inside dhussi bundh further widened to 700 feet, said officials. Meanwhile, city residents today heaved a sigh of relief as rain stopped today and sun brought some respite for them.
Water release from Pong Dam damages crops in Kangra district
Continuous rains coupled with the release of water from Pong Dam have caused large-scale destruction in the lower areas of Kangra district, damaging agriculture, horticulture and property.
More than 250 hectares of crops and orchards, including mango, litchi, orange, maize, paddy, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane and poplar, have been washed away.
A heavy soil erosion has been reported as dam water entered villages along the Beas river, sweeping away houses and damaging property worth crores. Several transformers and an 11 KV power line were also damaged, disrupting electricity supply. More than 16 roads remain blocked, as on date, in the area.
According to officials of the district administration, 20 panchayats in Indora and Fatehpur sub-divisions have borne the brunt of the floods. The combined effect of dam water release and swollen local rivulets has intensified the destruction.
Deputy Commissioner of Kangra Hemraj Bairwa said that all the concerned departments were working together to mitigate the damage, but rising water levels continue to cause heavy losses.
Floodwaters from the Beas River have submerged agricultural fields in over 35 villages across Punjab after heavy rainfall and water discharge from Pong Dam
Panchkula records 112.5-mm rainfall, Mohali 79 mm, UT 35.8 mm
The overnight downpour threw normal life out of gear with Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula facing a flood-like situation. The incessant rain started late Thursday night and continued till the wee hours of Friday.
Most parts of the tricity were submerged in knee-deep water. Several roads in the tricity were damaged, forcing the authorities to close vehicular traffic on these stretches.
Though the residents woke up to a sunny day, the overnight downpour caused massive traffic jams in the morning. In Chandigarh, the Madhya Marg grid, Tribune Chowk and Transport Chowk witnessed serpentine queues of vehicles, while several road stretches leading to Panchkula, railway station and IT Park, which suffered major damage due to waterlogging, were closed to traffic.
Reports of trees and poles falling on vehicles and public property were also received. The IMD issued a yellow alert for heavy rain till Tuesday.
Record rain in Panchkula
Panchkula witnessed the record rainfall of 112.5-mm, which was not only the season’s highest but also the heaviest in the north region.
Traffic jam at the Housing Board Chowk in Chandigarh.
Chaos on Madhya Marg
Chandigarh: Chandigarh witnessed massive traffic jams on Madhya Marg on Friday morning, as the overnight rain left roads waterlogged. A few adjoining roads had to be closed for safety reasons near the Sector 26 light point. Traffic snarls were also witnessed during office hours near the PGI and the Sector 17-9-8-18 lightpoint. The situation was further compounded by uprooted trees and cave-ins.
Lightning strikes in Sector 7-C
Lightning struck a spot in Sector 7-C on Thursday night. No one was injured. A few cars parked outside houses were damaged. — TNS
A flooded street in Phase 11, Mohali, on Friday.
Water enters Mohali houses
Mohali: Phase 11 residents staged a protest after rainwater flooded the ground floor of LIG and MIG houses. Residents complained that their household goods were damaged. Fire tenders were rushed to the area to drain the rainwater from the houses. Angry residents staged a sit-in on the road and raised slogans against Mohali MC, Punjab government and GMADA. The blockade was lifted after Mohali MC commissioner Parminder Pal Singh and senior police officials reached the spot and pacified the residents.
Farmer swept away in Lalru
A 65-year-old farmer in Lalru was reportedly swept away in the Jharmal rivulet this morning. Locals said Janak Singh Saini was returning from his fields across the rivulet in his cart. As he tried to cross it, the cart overturned. He, along with the bullocks, was swept away in the strong current. The cattle were found later but there was no trace of Janak. Police officials said they were searching for the victim.—TNS
The Indian Air Force has escalated its operations for flood relief and rescue in north India which had commenced on August 27, focusing primarily on the severely affected Punjab and Jammu regions.
Mi-17 and Chinook helicopters have conducted at least 55 sorties to evacuate stranded civilians and personnel from the Indian Army and Border Security Force from inundated areas in Dera Baba Nanak, Pathankot and Akhnoor sectors.
The C-130 transport aircraft have also been deployed to facilitate rapid movement of specialised National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams into the affected zones. Air assets are strategically tasked to maximise coverage and support.
The operations have enabled the rescue of 215 individuals and delivered 7,300 kg of essential relief material in the affected areas in the past three days, an IAF spokesperson said on Friday.
On Friday, in a daring and skillful mission, helicopters of IAF evacuated nine marooned civilians, including children, from the flood-hit Dera Baba Nanak area in Punjab by winching them to safety from the roof of a house surrounded by water.
Current efforts are concentrated in northern Punjab, where the situation remains critical due to continuing high water levels, which has hampered surface connectivity. The relief missions are being executed in close coordination with the Indian Army, Border Security Force, NDRF and the local administration to ensure timely evacuation and distribution of supplies.
Meanwhile, a number of Army columns deployed in Punjab and Jammu continued with their relief and rescue operations, evacuating marooned persons, rendering medical aid and providing food and other essential supplies.
Engineers of the Tiger Division laid a 110-foot Bailey bridge in just 12 hours to revive the road link over Tawi bridge in Jammu, the eastern span of which was severely damaged by floods. Overcoming washed-out approaches and limited workspace, vehicular movement was restored under challenging conditions, an Army officer said.
In flood-affected Dera Baba Nanak, the Army’s Panther Division soldiers are reaching every corner in their rescue operations, while in the Ferozepur sector, the Golden Arrow Division rescued a large number of families from Ruknewala, Dhiraganaand, Dilche Palla and Megha villages.
7,689 evacuated; drones drop essential supplies
As many as 7,689 people have been rescued from flood-ravaged areas, said an official statement on Friday.
Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said 20 choppers of the Army had been stationed to evacuate people. “Drones are being used to trace people, and also to deliver food packets and other essential items,” he added.
Shukla said Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Fazilka and Ferozepur were among the worst-hit districts in the state. The officer said the Punjab Police had set up relief camps at flood-affected areas, wherein food and medicines were being provided for those evacuated. Fodder was also being provided for the cattle, he added. — TNS
Five killed, 11 missing after heavy rain, landslides in Uttarakhand
Five persons were killed and 11 went missing as heavy rain and a series of cloudbursts wreaked havoc in various districts of Uttarakhand on Friday, triggering landslides that damaged houses and left people buried under mounds of rubble, officials said.
Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Bageshwar districts bore the brunt of the natural calamity, which came close on the heels of the Tharali disaster on August 23.
Uttarakhand has been hit hard by natural calamities this monsoon season. Before the disaster in Tharali in Chamoli, a devastating flashflood in the Kheer Ganga in Uttarkashi district on August 5 demolished nearly half of Dharali — the key stopover en route to Gangotri with many hotels and homestays and neighbouring Harsil, where an Army camp bore the brunt of the flood fury.
The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) here said excess overnight rainfall damaged nearly half a dozen houses in Pausari gram panchayat in the Kapkot area of Bageshwar district, killing two persons and leaving three missing and one injured.
Two bodies were recovered and one injured person rescued in Bageshwar while three others were still missing, the USDMA said.
A house and a cowshed were buried under the landslide debris in Mopata village of Chamoli district, killing a couple and leaving another injured, Chief Development Officer Abhishek Tripathi said.
Incessant rain and landslides in Basukedaar area of Rudraprayag district have caused heavy damage in more than half-a-dozen villages, the officials said.
Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said a woman died in a house collapse at Jakholi in Rudraprayag district, adding three cloudbursts occurred in the district.
Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshay Prahlad Konde said there is information about four locals and as many Nepal nationals who were trapped under debris in the Chenagad area. With the road broken at seven-eight places, rescue teams were facing difficulties in reaching the place, he said.
23 dead, 1,018 villages hit, 16K rescued as Punjab sees worst floods in decades
CM forms panel to oversee relief | Haryana wary of water release
Army men rescue local residents using a boat at Baoopur village in Sultanpur Lodhi. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
As many as 23 persons have died in devastating floods that have ravaged 1,018 villages across Punjab over the past week. While 16,039 people have been rescued from flood-affected districts as of Friday evening, the state’s AAP government has started assessing losses and dispatching relief materials to those still stranded in inundated villages.
As per information gathered by The Tribune, eight deaths were reported in Pathankot, seven in Hoshiarpur, three each in Rupnagar and Barnala, and two in Gurdaspur over the past week. The three fatalities in Barnala were due to heavy rains earlier this week, while the others lost their lives after their houses were washed away or they were swept away by the raging waters of the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann chaired a meeting to assess the critical situation in eight severely affected districts –Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur and Fazilka. He constituted a high-powered committee to oversee relief and rescue operations conducted by the state government, Army, BSF, Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force.
Mann directed Chief Secretary KAP Sinha to accelerate relief efforts, noting that an unprecedented discharge of 14.11 lakh cusecs of water in the Ravi caused the most damage.
Social Security Minister Dr Baljit Kaur said her department was ensuring the safety of affected people, especially senior citizens, children and women, and was coordinating with the Health Department to prevent water-borne disease outbreaks.
While water levels in the Ravi and Beas have begun receding in the Majha and Doaba regions, Punjab braced for flooding in Patiala and Sangrur as water surged down the Ghaggar following overnight rain in its catchment area. The water level was recorded at 70,000 cusecs at Bhankharpur this morning but receded quickly, bringing relief to residents and administration in Mohali and Patiala by afternoon. However, by early evening, water levels in the Tangri and Markanda rivulets began rising, putting the Patiala administration on alert. Water flowed toward Sardulgarh, where it exceeded the 30,000 cusecs mark.
Another area of concern for the government was Dharamkot in Gurdaspur, where the Ravi continued to flow at 4.60 lakh cusecs, well above the danger level. A total of 323 villages in Gurdaspur and 81 in Pathankot have been affected by floods, with the civil administration, police and central forces continuing rescue operations. Water levels at the Madhopur and Ujh barrages receded to 39,000 cusecs and 7,700 cusecs, respectively. In Amritsar, water levels receded in the Ramdas area but flowed toward Ajnala, causing concern among rescue teams. At least 15 villages in the district were affected.
Politicians from various parties visited the affected districts, urging their cadres to assist people in distress. They included AAP leaders Laljit Singh Bhullar, Raghav Chadha, Kuldeep Dhaliwal and Tarunpreet Singh Sond; BJP’s Sunil Jakhar; Congress leaders Charanjit Singh Channi, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Partap Bajwa, and Gurjit Singh Aujla; and SAD’s Sukhbir Singh Badal. Several farmer unions, including BKU (Ugrahan), Kirti Kisan Union and BKU (Ekta Dakaunda), also sent members to assist in relief and rescue efforts.
Water levels have started receding in Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala districts, though it will take several days for the situation to normalise. The Beas recorded 1.80 lakh cusecs at Passi (near Tanda) and 2 lakh cusecs at Dhilwan.
In another positive news, water levels in all three major dams — Pong, Ranjit Sagar and Bhakra – has begun receding. Controlled water releases were conducted from all three dams. While water levels at Ranjit Sagar and Bhakra remain below the danger mark, the Pong Dam remained full at 1,391 feet, above the danger mark of 1,390 feet, necessitating the release of 1 lakh cusecs of water.
Amid the ongoing “water war” between Punjab and Haryana over river water sharing, the Punjab Government wrote to the governments of Haryana and Rajasthan on August 22, urging them to accept additional water due to flooding in Punjab.
While Haryana didn’t initially respond, a senior official in the Punjab Water Resources Department stated that a letter was received from a senior Haryana official on Friday, asking Punjab to slow the release of water toward Haryana, as its own rivers were now in spate.
