Haryana Govt asks people to stay at home until rain subsides, sets up helpline numbers

In his meetings with state government officials, Khattar directed them to ensure the safety and security of people across the state and asked them to conduct operations to rescue those from waterlogged areas. Khattar also asked officials to ensure food supply for the stranded.

Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala also urged people to stay indoors, keep a watch on the situation and help each other, as and when required. “In case of any difficulty or waterlogging, people can call at helpline numbers – 1070, 1077, 112 or 0172-254938,” Chautala added.

Chief Minister Khattar’s emergency meeting of senior officials of the departments of revenue, disaster management, home, urban local bodies, and rural development came as the Met Department issued a ‘red’ alert in 16 districts of Haryana.

Among these 16 districts are Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurgaon, Nuh, Jhajjar, Palwal, Faridabad, Rohtak, Sonipat, and Panipat. Haryana has been witnessing heavy rainfall for the past three days.

In his virtual meeting with deputy commissioners, Khattar asked them to keep a close watch on the situation and ensure timely drainage of water and smooth traffic movement.

“The water level of the Yamuna, Ghaggar, and other small rivers is increasing continuously and hitting the danger mark because of the continuous rain in Himachal Pradesh. Therefore, quick evacuation arrangements should be made to ensure that people living in the low-lying areas are timely evacuated,” he said.

Khattar also gave special directions to the deputy commissioners of Ambala, Panchkula, and Yamunanagar districts that they should ensure that no one goes near the rivers.

Talking about the increasing water levels in the Narwana branch and Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canals, the chief minister said, “You should keep a close watch on the situation in your respective districts. Soil should be filled in sacks and kept ready so that if there is any breach in any river or drain, it can be controlled immediately”.

Situation in Panchkula and Ambala

Meanwhile, landslides were reported from some areas on the Pehowa-Ambala road.

In Panchkula, a bridge in the Mandawala bridge, about 5 km from Baddi, collapsed. Khattar directed the Panchkula deputy commissioner to coordinate with authorities in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh to arrange another route for motorists.

“The water coming from North Haryana should be shifted to South Haryana so that a flood situation does not arise in the districts of North Haryana. The natural and artificial drains flowing to the districts of South Haryana should be cleared for proper drainage of water,” Khattar told the officials.

“Apart from this, in the areas of South Haryana where water supply is ensured through the lifting system, there also the water should be supplied by diverting the rainwater drained from North Haryana. This will not only ensure the availability of water throughout the year in these areas but will also play a key step to avoid flood situation in North Haryana.”

In the meeting, the Ambala deputy commissioner apprised Khattar that in the last three days 493 mm of rainfall has been received due to which the water level in the rivers has drastically increased. The water level of the Ghaggar River is 16,500 cusec, while at present it has increased to 21,000 cusec, he said.

Similarly, the water level of the Tangri River has also risen to 21,000 cusec from its natural level of 13,000 cusec. Apart from this, the water level of the Markanda River in the safe zone is 50,000 cusec and it is expected to increase in the coming days. If the rain continues to lash the state then the possibility of a backflow in the Ambala drain will be high and the city could be waterlogged. However, adequate arrangements have been made by the administration, said DC Ambala.

He said rescuing people from low-lying areas has started and arrangements for food have also been made. An announcement has been made in the villages that people should not go near the rivers and the district administration is ready for every situation, he added. And, he said, a contingent of the Indian Army has also been deployed at the Narwana branch.

In the meeting, Chairman, Power DISCOMS, P K Das said, “There is no electricity in some areas of Ambala City and Ambala Cantt. Directions have been given to the authorities concerned to supply electricity to these areas from other sources”.

Other districts

The Panchkula district has also received more rainfall than average. The areas adjacent to the Ghaggar River, which has already touched the danger mark, have been evacuated.

In view of the increasing water level of the Yamuna River in Yamunanagar, the process of evacuating people from such areas has been implemented. The district administration is coordinating with the SDRF and NDRF teams to deal with the situation.

In 1978, the water level in the Markanda River was recorded at 256.4 metre, while at present the water level is at 255 mt in Kurukshetra. In view of the possibility of more rain, the low-lying areas have been evacuated.

Due to heavy rainfall, schools have been shut in eight districts including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Jhajjar, Fatehabad, Sonipat, and Rewari. In several districts, the administrations have issued an advisory to private companies asking their employees to work from home for the day.

Several national highways have also witnessed water logging and traffic continues to remain disrupted on Ambala-Hisar National Highway 152 and Ambala-Ludhiana National Highway 44.

Reports of crop loss have also come in at the state headquarters from various districts, and the government has ordered a detailed assessment for all such areas where farmers have suffered due to the ongoing rain.