Ravi Dhaliwal
Gurdaspur/Pathankot, July 31
The Army and the BSF were asked to be on standby as the Ravi and Ujh rivers overflowed in the twin border districts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur on Sunday, leading to floods in the border belt as well as Pathankot city. Services at the Pathankot Civil Hospital were severely hit.
2 kids among 3 dead in Kathua flash floods
Jammu: Three persons, including two children, died while two went missing due to flash floods triggered by heavy rain in Kathua district of the Jammu region on Sunday.
Water enters hospitals
- Majority of Pathankot’s 50 wards inundated
- Water enters shops, houses, malls, hospitals
- Crops, poplar trees, fodder washed away
Bridge in Palampur damaged after rain
Palampur: A steel cable suspension bridge over the Neugal river near Palampur was damaged due to heavy rain.
Schools and deras along the IB were vacated in the morning and announcements made from gurdwaras to warn the villagers of the impending danger. At 6 am, a light drizzle that greeted morning walkers soon turned into torrential rain. Within an hour, an alert was sounded as waters entered shops, houses, malls and hospitals. The situation was particularly grim in ward number 20.
While Deputy Commissioner Harbir Singh and a team of senior officers camped in the ward throughout the day, SSP Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh supervised operations at Bamiyal village. Locals blamed the MC authorities for waterlogging, claiming the drains had not been cleaned. Mayor Panna Lal Bhatia denied the allegation, urging his rivals not to “politicise” the matter.
Agriculture expert Dilbagh Singh Lally Cheema said paddy and maize crops, poplar trees and fodder had been washed away.
In Pathankot, the Civil Hospital was flooded. Essential services took a hit as the authorities grappled with the problem of draining out water. Pankaj Kumar, SDO, said a portion of the rail track near “Bajri” company had been eroded. “The administration has sent as SOS to the Railways,” he added.
A disaster management plan mentioning “vulnerable” villages, prepared a few years ago, came in handy for the Gurdaspur and Pathankot administrations. These villages were forewarned about the looming danger.
Ravi in spate, Army, BSF on standby in Punjab’s border villages
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