• Source:JND
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Punjab Floods: The northern state of Punjab is witnessing one of its worst floods in several years as heavy rainfall has led to the overflowing of rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ravi. The flood was worsened as water overflowed from seasonal rivulets after heavy rains in the catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Punjab reportedly received 74 per cent surplus rain in the month of August, highest in 25 years. While all 23 districts of Punjab have been declared flood-hit, the districts of Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Ferozepur have been identified as the worst affected. Schools and colleges in Punjab have been closed till August 7.

The floods in Punjab have led to extensive damage to life, property, infrastructure and crops. As many as 37 people have been reported dead and over 3.55 lakh have been affected by the deluge. Crops over 1.75 lakh hectares of land have been destroyed in the floods. Teams of the Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Border Security Force, Punjab Police and district authorities have been deployed across the state for relief and restoration work.

ALSO READ: School Holiday In UP, Haryana, Punjab, J&K, Himachal, Chandigarh Due To Rains And Landslides

Punjab Floods LIVE news: Here are the latest updates

- The Bhakra dam is expected to release more water into the state as it nears its maximum capacity. An alert was issued in Rupnagar district today as water level in Bhakra dam rose to 1,678.97 feet in the morning. The maximum capacity of the dam is 1,680 feet. While the current outflow of Bhakra Dam is about 73,459 cusecs. It is likely to rise by over 10,000 cusecs to 80,000-85,000 cusecs.

- Alert In Rupnagar District: Those living in low-lying areas near the Sutlej river were asked to move to safer areas. The warning was issued for several villages of Nangal and Anandpur Sahib.

- The Pong dam, built on the Beas river, saw the water level cross its maximum capacity of 1,390 feet as it rose four feet to reach 1,394.51 feet. The water inflow in the dam was 1,32,595 cusecs, while the outflow was 91,167 cusecs.

- Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the flood-hit villages in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts. He met and interacted with the farmers affected by the floods. The Centre has assured the state of all assistance for relief and rehabilitation work.

Shivraj

Union Minister Shivraj Chouhan visits flood-affected Dharmkot Randhawa village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. (Image: Jagran)

- Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, who visited the worst affected districts between September 1 and 4, submitted a detailed report to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who arrived at the Amritsar airport today. 

- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who was scheduled to visit flood-hit areas along with AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, was reported to have fallen ill. Mann had to postpone his visit due to high fever, The Tribune reported citing an official from the Chief Minister's Office. Meanwhile, former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal arrived in Punjab on Wednesday.

-Punjab Flood Death Toll: As many as 37 deaths have been reported between August 1 to September 3. Here's a look at city-wise death toll:

  • Hoshiarpur - 7
  • Pathankot - 6
  • Barnala - 5
  • Amritsar - 4
  • Ludhiana - 4
  • Bathinda - 3
  • Mansa - 3
  • Gurdaspur - 1
  • Patiala - 1
  • Rupnagar - 1
  • SAS Nagar - 1
  • Sangrur - 1

- The Punjab government has released a total of Rs 71 crore as flood relief fund so far. Punjab Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said the government had earlier released Rs 35.50 crore for all the districts. An additional Rs 35.50 crore were given to 12 districts which have been the worst affected. These included Amritsar, Bathinda, Barnala, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Fatehgarh Sahib and Gurdaspur.