The fear generated by the formation of an artifical lake on river Pareechu in China last year came true this morning, when the water levels in the Satluj surged by around 40 feet. The resulting flash-floods swept away five bridges, part of half-a-dozen villages and huge swathes of the National Highway in Kinnaur. The Army mess at Samdoh was submerged as well, but no loss of life has been reported so far.The government has said that it is keeping a strict vigil on the situation, which could not be called highly dangerous, since the waters have started receding. As a precautionary measure, power generation at Nathpa-Jhakri had also been stopped.The administration sounded a red alert along the 200-km stretch from Sumdoh in Kinnaur district to Mandi and Bilaspur.The IAF was kept on stand-by, with a Mi-17 chopper conducting recce. Additional Mi-7 and Mi-8 helicopters are kept on hand at the Chandigarh airbase to meet any eventuality. Two companies of the newly-formed Disaster Management Force have also been deployed to assist the state government if need be. The ITBP has been deployed to help with the evacuation.‘‘People living on the bank of the Sutlej have been advised to shift to safer places as a precautionary measure though there is no fresh threat of flash-floods,’’ said an official spokesman.First-hand reports show water level in the Sutlej rose by over 30 feet in the morning, spreading panic in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Mandi and Bilaspur districts. Twenty houses in half-a-dozen villages were washed away and the villagers were shifted to safer places.Superintendent of Police, Kinnaur, Arvind Sharda told the The Indian Express that the sudden rise in the water levels in the Sutlej, in absence of rains, could only be attributed to the artificial lake on Pareechu. But the officials on the Indian side had no confirmation about this. ‘‘It could even be a spillover of water from the lake,’’ he said.In Delhi, Home Secretary V.K. Duggal said any breach in Pareechu lake would be revealed only after satellite pictures are received tomorrow. ‘‘We have also informed the Chinese authorities who have promised all necessary help,’’ Duggal added.But ‘‘there had been a lot of snowfall this winter and its melting could have aggravated the situation. Another reason could be the incessant rains that have been witnessed in higher reaches,’’ Duggal added.Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi has held an emergency meeting with the secretaries of all ministries and representatives of the Army and para-military forces.Duggal said the Centre would provide all assistance to the state government after an inter-ministerial team assesses the damages. As a precautionary measure, health, water, food and petroleum ministries had been kept on readiness.
