Dozen villages inundated in Haryana floods

CHANDIGARH - Large swathes of agriculture land were inundated and nearly a dozen villages submerged in flood waters in Haryana’s Sirsa and Fatehabad districts due to breaches in the Ghaggar river, officials said Tuesday. However, flood waters have begun receding in Punjab.

The water level in the Ghaggar river in Sirsa district was flowing above the danger mark, posing a threat to many villages.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is to visit the flood-affected areas in Sirsa and Fatehabad Tuesday.

“The army has been requisitioned to fill the breaches in the Ghaggar river in Sirsa. We have made arrangements to deal with any kind of emergency,” Naresh Gulati, Haryana’s principal secretary (disaster management), told IANS Tuesday.

Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts were badly affected by floods in the last few days.

“We have directed all deputy commissioners in the state to take all precautionary measures as heavy rains are expected,” Gulati said.

According to officials, 33 people have died due to floods in Haryana and Punjab.

In Punjab, the water level in most of the affected districts has receded and no fresh breach in the Ghaggar was reported.

Amarjit Singh Dullat, chief engineer (irrigation), Punjab, told IANS Tuesday: “The water level is receding in most parts of Punjab. No fresh breach was reported in Ghaggar but we are still monitoring the situation.”

The weather office has predicted moderate to heavy rain in most parts of Punjab and some places in Haryana till Wednesday.