In Sangrur district of Punjab, the water level in the Ghaggar river surpassed the dangerous threshold of 754 feet for the first time, prompting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to return to his home district to oversee relief and rescue operations.
In Sangrur district of Punjab, the water level in the Ghaggar river surpassed the dangerous threshold of 754 feet for the first time, prompting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to return to his home district to oversee relief and rescue operations.
According to Gursharan Virk, the district executive engineer responsible for drainage, even during the 1993 floods, the water level had not exceeded this mark. The danger mark for the Ghaggar river is set at 746.2 feet, but currently, it is flowing six feet above that level and has begun to overflow, causing flooding in fields and villages.
“This is the first time in history that the Ghaggar river has witnessed such a substantial volume of water in the district. Even during the 1993 floods, it did not reach the 754-foot mark, despite the river being much narrower back then,” explained Virk.
Additionally, the surging waters of the Ghaggar river breached two embankments in Moonak. The first breach occurred near Banarsi village, and the other near the Moonak-Tohana bridge. Water entered houses in Phulad village.
On Wednesday, the river breached embankments at three locations: Makored Sahib, Phulad, and Mandvi village near Moonak. The district administration swiftly repaired the 20-foot breach at Mandvi within hours.
Efforts are underway to fix the breaches at the other two locations. The breach at Makored Sahib village spans around 100 feet, while the one at Phulad is 65 feet wide. The third breach at Mandvi village measures 45 feet in width.
The water has flooded fields adjoining these villages.
