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Punjab woke up to a grim Monday morning as incessant rain pushed major rivers and dams to critical levels, raising fears of another flood-like situation. The Ghaggar river is in spate, while the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers continue to swell. Water levels in the Bhakra and Pong dams have risen further, with more rain predicted in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in the coming days.
The Bhakra Dam on Sutlej touched 1,674 feet Monday, just six feet short of the 1,680-foot danger mark. Pong Dam on the Beas is already above the danger mark of 1,390 feet, currently standing at 1,390.56 feet, while its maximum storage capacity is 1,410 feet. On Ravi, Shahpur Kandi Dam is at 399.77 feet, below the danger level of 405 feet, and Ranjit Sagar Dam is at 524.9 metres, close to its critical level of 527.91 metres.
Meanwhile, at Harike headworks, Sutlej’s level surged to 2.66 lakh cusecs Monday morning, up from 2.44 lakh cusecs on Saturday. At Hussainiwala headworks, it is 2.60 lakh cusecs, compared to 2.44 lakh cusecs two days ago. This has already caused flooding in several villages of Ferozepur and Fazilka districts.
According to the government, nearly 3 lakh acres of farmland were submerged in the flooding, affecting around 1.25 lakh people in Punjab.
Patiala braces for Ghaggar overflow
In Patiala, floodgates of Sukhna were opened again, and the Bhankarpur gauge in Mohali touched the danger mark of 10 feet Monday. The excess release is expected to reach villages in Ghanaur and Rajpura within the next eight to 10 hours. More than a dozen villages in these areas are witnessing water in agricultural fields, while residential areas remain unaffected.
Meanwhile, farmers fear a repeat of past disasters. “This is how it started in other districts last week: first, the fields were submerged, then water entered villages without warning. We remember the devastation of 2019 and 2023,” said Jatinder Singh from Bhunerheri village in Samana.
He claimed that Ghaggar’s water level in his area rose from 15 feet Friday night to 21 feet Monday morning, accusing authorities of being ill-prepared.
In Ludhiana, incessant rain caused the Buddha nallah to overflow, sparking fears of urban flooding. AAP Councillor Tanvir Singh Dhaliwal shared a video warning that sewer water could backflow into homes if the rain continues. The Buddha nallah, which carries the city’s sewage, eventually meets Sutlej at Walipur, further adding to contamination concerns.
With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting more rain in Punjab and Himachal, Patiala Deputy Commissioner Dr Preeti Yadav urged high caution for the next three days.
She advised residents to avoid kachcha paths near water bodies, refrain from unnecessary travel, and stay away from swollen rivers and drains. “Our teams are stationed at vulnerable points. There is no need to panic, but precautionary measures are essential,” she said.
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