69 more villages in Gurdaspur hit by flood in a day; officials fear worst as more rain is expected in Himachal Pradesh

Gurdaspur, Aug 17: Several teams of the National Disaster Response Force, Army and the BSF have been pressed into service for rescue operations in flood-hit areas of Punjab's Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Rupnagar districts. Large parts of these three districts have been inundated following the release of excess water from the Bhakra and the Pong dams, said officials. Against Wednesday's figure of 45, flood waters on Thursday entered 114 villages in Punjab. Officials fear the worst may come in a day as heavy rain is expected in Himachal Pradesh. Another worry was that the VIP visits are hampering rescue operations, say officials. The water level in the Beas and the Sutlej rivers rose following the release of water from the dams' reservoirs. The Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river and the Pong dam on the Beas river — both in Himachal Pradesh — are brimming after heavy rain in their respective catchment areas. Several people in low-lying regions and villages on the banks of the rivers in Punjab were evacuated to safety even as district administrations appealed to people in the flood-hit areas to move to safer locations. The Gurdaspur district administration announced holidays in government and private schools in flood-hit villages till further orders while the authorities in Rupnagar declared holidays in schools and anganwadi centres in the affected areas on August 17 and 18. Many villagers, carrying essentials on their shoulders, could be seen wading through flood-hit areas to safer places. Some villagers even engaged their tractor-trolleys to take the stranded people to safety and provide relief material. Regular announcements are being made for people to move to safety.