Flood-like situation in Haryana villages; CM to review situation

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday called an emergency meeting at his residence here to take stock of the situation arising from floods in villages around Yamunanagar town following the release of excess water from the Hathnikund barrage.

The Yamuna river continued to flow above the danger mark even after the release of over 600,000 cusecs of water that inundated at least 10 villages.

The villagers were seen camping on rooftops of their houses.

"There is no help from the government as all our ration and households were damaged with the sudden increase in water level last (Saturday) night," Zubair Khan, a resident of Mandi village, located on the outskirts of Yamunanagar town, told a news channel.

There was no fodder for the livestock. "We were told by the government to leave the village, but we can't go because of our livestock," an aggrieved Khan added.

The government on Saturday sounded a high alert in the districts of Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat.

Yamunanagar Deputy Commissioner Girish Arora said the Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force have been put on alert for rescue and relief operations.

The authorities began to evacuate hundreds of people living in the Yamuna catchment area following a sharp rise in the river's level, officials said.

Heavy rains continued to lash many parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while authorities released more water at the Hathnikund barrage during the day.

The Yamunanagar administration has set up a flood control office at the district headquarters and at all blocks for an immediate response.

There was no report of any loss of life in the state.

The Met Department in Chandigarh predicted that the hill states in Haryana's neighbourhood will continue to experience heavy rains.

--IANS

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