Chandigarh: Rains Sunday lashed many parts
of Punjab and Haryana causing fresh breaches in river Ghaggar
even as the two neighbouring states battled flood fury, which
has claimed 33 lives so far and damaged standing crops.
Chandigarh received a downpour early this morning
recording a rainfall of 19.4 mm and was followed by Mohali
Ludhiana and Patiala which recorded rainfalls of 18 mm, 5.6
mm and 3 mm respectively, the Met office said.
Kalka (23 mm) and Panchkula (20 mm) in Haryana also
witnessed heavy rains whereas Ambala (5.2 mm), Hisar (1.6 mm),
Karnal (12.4 mm) and Bhiwani (2.4 mm) in the state also
received showers, it said.
The current spell of floods has claimed 22 lives in
Punjab and 11 in Haryana so far.
Meanwhile, water in river Ghaggar is flowing four feet
above the danger mark at sub-division Guhla in Kaithal
district in Haryana, Deputy Commissioner Amneet P Kumar said.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal approved
contingency plans for flood-hit farmers as two more breaches
in Ghaggar near Makroad and Chandu and one breach in Narwana
Canal marooned 2.5 lakh acres of farm land affecting three
lakh people of 763 villages of the state.
The Deputy Chief Minister accompanied by MP Balwinder
Singh Bhunder visited flood hit Sadhuwala and Phusmandi
villages besides reviewing relief operations at Sardulgarh.
He promised to strengthen bandh on Ghaggar besides
expediting relief operations.
He also reviewed the flood situation in Roopnagar,
Patiala, Sangrur, SAS Nagar, Ludhiana and Fatehgarh districts
and felt that out of flood hit 2.5 lakh acres of farmland
situation of crops was grave in 1.5 lakh acres of land.
He said that though water had started receding in certain
parts of the state, total crop loss to farmers could be Rs 480
crore, according to the initial estimates.
Approving the plan prepared by Director Agriculture
Balwinder Singh, the Deputy Chief Minister suggested that
Agriculture Department should advise farmers to sow short
maturity paddy varieties rather than long maturity ones.
3,000 cusecs of water is flowing in Hansi-Butana Link
Canal passing through Kaithal district where one lakh hectare
of agriculture land has been inundated by flood water,
damaging standing crops worth Rs 3 crore, Kaithal Deputy
Commissioner said adding that the deluge has also submerged 96
residential houses.
PTI
