Threat of floods looms large in Derabassi, again

However, A K Chowdhary, a Derabassi resident, said that the local residents are worried this year too as the banks, they claim, have not strengthened. He added that in case of heavy rains, the low-lying areas are again in danger of floods.

“I would say nothing had been done, there are many areas where the rivers banks are very weak and many villages can submerge in case of incessant rains,” Chowdhary added.

Indian Army seen rescuing the people on a boat from the flood affected areas in Punjab. (Express Photo by Harmeet Sodhi)

Punjab Water Resources Minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra, however, on June 22 said Rs 9 crore had been allocated for fortifying and repair works of the dam across the Ghaggar in Tiwana and Alamgir villages.

Under this, a 2,900-feet-long dam was supposed to be installed, out of which work for 2400 feet has already been completed and the rest would be finished on war footing, added the water resources minister.

Last year, the river water entered many villages due to heavy rains. Tiwana village was submerged during the floods and NDRF teams were pressed into service to rescue the locals.

Shiv Kumar, another Derabassi resident, said that the low-lying areas like Baltana could be submerged in case of floods. He added that many natural streams were either encroached or choked and there is no way left for the flow of water.

“No steps have been taken to revive the streams. It is the biggest problem. Even after last year’s floods, the administration did not look after the natural streams so that the excess water can flow to the river and does not enter the residential areas,” Kumar added.

Gurpreet Singh, another local said that around 30 link roads were damaged in the floods last year but the repair work was not done till now.