Relief work stepped up in flood-affected areas of Punjab, Haryana; schools to remain shut

Chandigarh: Relief work continued at a brisk pace in the flood-affected areas of Punjab and Haryana on Thursday, where the rain fury has left normal life paralysed in worst-hit parts.

Considering the safety of students, the Punjab government on Thursday extended the holiday in schools till July 16. Earlier, it had announced holidays till July 13.

Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains tweeted that all schools will remain closed till July 16.

Authorities in the two states have stepped up relief operations as the weather has improved over the past three days.

Meanwhile, officials said the water flowing in Haryana's Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar district on Thursday was 1.62 lakh cusecs at 10 am, significantly down from Tuesday morning's flow rate of around 3.21 lakh cusecs of water discharged from the barrage.

However, the gushing floodwaters from the Yamuna river over the past two days have inundated vast tracts of agricultural land in Karnal and Panipat districts and impacted some villages.

As Delhi recorded a rapid increase in Yamuna water level over the past three days, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting that the water from the Hathnikund barrage be released slowly.

There are two major barrages on the Yamuna -- Dakpathar in Dehradun and Hathnikund in Yamunanagar, upstream of Delhi. There are no dams on the river and, therefore, most of the monsoon flow remains unutilised, resulting in floods during the season.  Haryana's Education Minister Kanwar Pal on Thursday said there is a barrage in Hathnikund and it is not a reservoir where water can be stored in large volumes.

"It is a barrage, we cannot hold water after it crosses beyond a certain permissible limit, otherwise it will cause even bigger damage," Pal said when asked about his views on Kejriwal's letter.

With six more deaths due to rain-related incidents in Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday, the death toll now stands at 21, including 10 in Haryana, according to government data.

Overall, 14 districts have been affected in Punjab and seven in Haryana.

Over 14,000 people have been shifted to safer places from waterlogged localities in several of Punjab's affected districts.

Lt Gen H S Panag (retd), who also served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, tweeted photos of his farmhouse 'Titar Lodge' near Fatehgarh Sahib, which has been inundated due to the recent floods.

"Friends, my Farm House - Titar Lodge - was under 3 -5 feet of water for 48 hours wef 9 June evening. Salvage operations are on. It will take two to three weeks", he tweeted.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday conducted an aerial survey of some of the flood-affected districts to take stock of the situation.

Khattar had said 10 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state.

Seven districts -- Ambala, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Panipat and Kaithal -- have been affected most by the rains, he said.

Patiala, Rupnagar are among the hardest-hit districts in Punjab.

The government has set up relief shelters in several districts in the two states.

At many places, NGOs, locals and religious bodies have come together to lend a helping hand to those affected.