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Flood situation still grim in Punjab
Many affected areas await relief
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 9
Fresh moderate to intermittent showers and the failure of relief teams, especially medical teams, to reach the flood-ravaged areas, normal life in many parts of Punjab continues to remain paralysed.

Not only supplies of fodder and fresh vegetables, even supply of milk and poultry products have been hit hard by the flash floods caused by the vigorous start to the southwest monsoon early this week.

Though the government claimed that there had been 30 breaches and 15 lives lost in the flood-related incidents in the state so far, thousands of families have been totally disconnected from the rest of the world because of ravaging rain and river waters.

Worst hit are six districts - Patiala, Sangrur, Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali and Ludhiana - while more than a thousand villages in different parts of the state have been reeling under the fury of the floods.

While there were some signs of water level receding in parts of the affected areas, but some fresh breaches in Ghaggar, Hansi Butana canal, Doraha canal and other channels have aggravated the trouble.

Though Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced immediate relief of Rs 28 crore for disbursement among those hit by the flash floods, many areas have remained without any relief supplies.

There has been little or no food, medicines and fodder available in some pockets of Samana, Patran, Malerkotla and Sangrur. People in the flood-hit areas have already started complaining of breaking out of an epidemic of water-borne diseases, especially cholera and gastroenteritis, as all channels of drinking water have been flooded and normal supplies cut.

Water purification tablets and essential medicines are yet to be distributed in the affected areas.

Hooda orders ‘girdawari’
Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 9
With the flood waters receding slowly, the authorities were able to plug a number of breaches in the SYL canal, the Tangri and other seasonal rivulets. The rail and road traffic has been partially restored. However, it will take days for the situation to normalise, that too if there is respite from rain for some more days.

Meanwhile, preliminary estimates prepared by the Haryana government have put the loss suffered by the people of the state at over Rs 650 crore. This does not include the loss suffered by people in urban areas, which will be assessed separately by the state government.

To assess the actual loss, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has ordered a special “girdawari” in the flood-affected areas. He told The Tribune that he would write to the Union Finance Minister to direct insurance companies to expedite claims of those who had suffered losses in the urban areas due to the natural calamity.

The state government will sent the first disaster report to the Centre tomorrow, in which the estimated loss will be conveyed to it.

Meanwhile, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today rang up Hooda and enquired from him about the flood situation and relief measures taken by the state government. Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured Hooda of all help to meet the flood situation.

The government has estimated the loss on account of damage to crops at Rs 400 crore, damage to roads at Rs 205 crore and damage to the network of canals at Rs 50 crore. Meanwhile, according to a report from Kaithal, the town faced the threat of flash floods as a big breach occurred in the Hansi-Butana link canal passing through the district near Keorak this morning .