Chandigarh [India], August 17 : Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Sunday reviewed the flood situation in several districts of the state as heavy rainfall in the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh led to a rise in water levels in the state's rivers and dams.
The Minister held detailed telephonic discussions with Deputy Commissioners of the affected districts and directed immediate relief and mitigation measures to safeguard lives, livestock, and property.
Addressing mediapersons at Punjab Bhawan, Goyal said that flood-like conditions had developed in Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Fazilka and Ferozepur due to rising river waters and breaches in temporary embankments built by farmers in the floodplains. He disclosed that nearly 14,200 acres across Kapurthala, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts had been inundated. While the affected areas of Kapurthala included residential settlements, the damage in Fazilka and Ferozepur was largely to agricultural land under cultivation.
"The state government and district administration are fully committed to providing all possible assistance to the affected population," the Minister assured.
Goyal said the department had deployed four Superintending Engineers, 10 Executive Engineers, 20 Sub-Divisional Officers, and 200 field staff, including Junior Engineers, for round-the-clock monitoring. Vulnerable regions have been divided into sectors to ensure prompt response and interventions.
The Minister directed Deputy Commissioners to set up relief camps without delay, ensuring shelter, food, clean drinking water and medical facilities for displaced families. He stressed that priority must be given to children, the elderly and pregnant women for medical assistance, with arrangements for mobile health units and uninterrupted essential medicine supplies to prevent waterborne diseases.
Goyal further instructed Deputy Commissioners of Tarn Taran and Ferozepur to personally oversee the Harike headworks, where increased water inflow from the Sutlej and Beas rivers is being closely monitored.
"The embankments built by the department are safe, and no overflow has been reported. Vigilance is being maintained 24x7 by strong roster-based teams," the Minister said, reiterating that the Punjab Government is taking every possible measure to protect people and property.