Punjab floods: Death toll over 50; crops on 1.84 lakh hectares damaged

Chandigarh: The death toll in Punjab due to the devastating floods went up to 51 with three more deaths in the past 24 hours, while crops on 1.84 lakh hectares have been damaged, said officials on Monday.

The Punjab cabinet on Monday decided to give a compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre for crop damage in the floods in the state. It also gave a nod to a scheme, 'Jisda Khet, Usdi Ret' (One who owns farm land, owns sand), whereby farmers will be allowed to extract and sell sand deposited in their fields after floods.

Meanwhile, the flood situation has eased in several villages with the water level starting to recede even as the relief operations continued, said officials.

The water level in the Pong dam, on the Beas river, was recorded at 1,390.74 feet on Monday evening, down from 1,392.20 feet a day earlier.

Water inflow in the dam fell to 34,580 cusecs against 36,968 cusecs on Sunday, while outflow decreased to 76,008 cusecs compared to 90,000 cusecs on Sunday evening, said the officials.

Water level in the Bhakra dam on Monday was recorded at 1,677.2 feet as against 1,677.98 on Sunday.

The inflow in the Bhakra dam, built on the Sutlej river, stood at 57,414 cusecs, and the outflow was 65,000 cusecs, the officials said.

Punjab Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said the flood situation continues to impact several districts of the state.

He said as per the district reports, over 3.87 lakh people have been affected across 15 districts.

Likewise, human fatalities have risen to 51 with three more deaths recorded during the past 24 hours in Mansa, Moga and Patiala districts. Three people in Pathankot were still missing.

Listing crop and infrastructure damage, Mundian said that the crop loss has now reached 1,84,938 hectares. He added that damage to houses and livestock continues to be assessed, and the full extent will be available once floodwaters recede.

On the evacuation front, Mundian said a total of 23,015 persons have been safely evacuated to date, and at present, 123 relief camps are operational, sheltering 5,416 inmates.

He said that mitigation measures remain in full swing with the Army deploying around 30 helicopters for rescue and relief operations, while the BSF, NDRF and SDRF teams are carrying out ground support.

Relief materials, including dry rations and medicines, are being dispatched round-the-clock to the flood-hit areas.

A total of 2,064 villages have been impacted due to the floods, with the maximum villages in the Gurdaspur district at 329.

Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains launched an 'Operation Rahat' from Nangal. This 10-day campaign is dedicated to the relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected families.

The minister also said nearly 20,000 government schools across Punjab had remained closed due to floods for the past several days.

These schools have now been opened for cleaning and will reopen for students from September 9.

In Kapurthala, the district administration said it is continuously carrying out relief work to help people living in the flood-affected areas.

Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal said teams deployed by the animal husbandry department are providing necessary treatment to the livestock, and silage and cattle feed are also being continuously distributed by the agriculture department.

Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma directed the Civil Surgeon to conduct a special campaign of anti-larva spray to prevent mosquito breeding.

The rural development will conduct a campaign to prevent dengue, malaria, chikungunya and vector-borne diseases in villages, Sharma said.