Rains wreak havoc in Punjab; schools, colleges shut

Normal life was thrown out of gear in Punjab due to incessant rains, prompting the state government to issue red alert and order closure of educational institutions on Tuesday even as the Army remains on alert.The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) issued an advisory Monday to the Punjab government that it will release "excess" water from the Pong dam in the wake of incessant rains in catchment area of the Beas river.While reviewing flood-like situation triggered by continuous rains in the state, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh put the Army on alert to help the state deal with any eventuality,Fearing damage to kharif crops because of widespread downpour, the state government also ordered a special 'girdawari' to assess crop damage.Rains are likely to lash isolated places in Punjab and Haryana Tuesday, though it will recede thereafter, an official of the Chandigarh Meteorological Department said.Punjab has been witnessing widespread rains for the last two days and the downpour continued on Monday as well.Chandigarh recorded 63.8 mm of rainfall Monday. The maximum temperature settled at 23 degrees Celsius, 10 notches below normal.Patiala was the wettest in the region with 86 mm of downpour, followed by Ludhiana at 57 mm.In Haryana, Ambala recorded 53 mm of rainfall. The maximum temperature was 25.2 degrees Celsius.Train services were also affected due to waterlogging in some districts.Amritsar-New Delhi, Delhi-Amritsar, New Delhi-Jalandhar, New Delhi-Intercity express were cancelled while Bathinda-Jammutawi and Jammutwa-Bathinda were diverted in the wake of waterlogging in Punjab's Amritsar district, the officials said.The incessant rains played a havoc in Punjab with several low-lying areas in the state inundating and fields at a few places getting flooded because of breach in canals.Water-level in rivers and rivulets, including the Ghaggar, rose following rains.In Amritsar, a large section of Mall Road near municipal corporation's office caved in while a portion of flyover in Patiala collapsed, according to reports.Roads in several cities, including Patiala, Ludhiana and Amritsar were flooded.In Haryana's Ambala district, a 45-year-old man died when the roof of his home collapsed in village Jandli, while four people were injured in Punjab's Phagwara when roof of their house caved in due to incessant rains, officials said.In Chandigarh, floodgate of Sukhna lake was opened and people were asked to avoid travelling from back side of the lake, they said.The Punjab chief minister held an emergency meeting on Monday to review the arrangements in order to deal with any flood-like situation.Chairing an emergency meeting here, he asked ministers and MLAs to tour their respective areas extensively to assess the ground situation and tie up with the departments concerned for immediate redressal of hardships faced by the people.He also directed the Food and Civil Supplies and Animal Husbandry ministers to appoint nodal officers for distribution of food packets to the affected people and dry fodder for the animals in view of the situation.The chief minister also asked Financial Commissioner Revenue (FCR) to seek assistance from the Army, the BSF and the NDRF and other paramilitary forces, if needed.The FCR informed the chief minister that a contingency fund to the tune of Rs 7.40 crore has been placed at the disposal of deputy commissioners to get flood protection works executed besides carrying out rescue operations.On possible outbreak of water-borne diseases, Amarinder Singh asked the Health Department to take preventive measures by organising special medical checkup camps and arranging sufficient stock of medicines in this behalf.Taking part in the deliberations, BBMB chief D K Sharma apprised the CM the situation at Bhakhra reservoir was in control so far and they were regularly monitoring the water levels at Pong dam.Earlier, the chief principal secretary to the CM said all deputy commissioners were keeping a close tab over the current situation and disaster control rooms activated.Farmers in Punjab and Haryana demanded adequate compensation for crop damaged by rains.Incessant rains in Punjab and Haryana could cause damage to kharif crops and dip in their yield, farm experts said."Paddy grown in low-lying areas is vulnerable to damage due to rains as it usually gets submerged in water," Director at Punjab Agriculture Department J S Bains said.According to farmers, paddy, which is at maturing stage, has got flattened at several areas because of rains."We have asked district agriculture officers to assess the damage caused by rains," Bains said.

Rains wreak havoc in Punjab; schools, colleges shut

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