The mission to evacuate people from the low-lying areas of three Punjab districts - Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Rupnagar - gained pace on Thursday after the excess water from Himachal's Pong and Bhakra dams triggered a flood-like situation in these areas.
Over 100 people have been rescued till now with the help of NDRF, SDRF and Army in Gurdaspur, parts of which witnessed heavy flooding on Wednesday. An NDRF team of 24 have arrived for rescue and operation.
Ashwini Gotyal SSP, Batala, said several people have been moved to safety in the district. "Due to the release of water from the Pong dam, large parts of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur have been inundated...Till now we have rescued almost 75 people to a safer place," Gotyal added.
Villagers were seen carrying essentials on their shoulders, wading through flood-hit areas while others used their tractor-trolleys to take the stranded people to safety and provide relief material. The district administrations have set up relief camps and helpline for the affected people. Plugging of some breaches along the rivers in these areas are also being undertaken, said the officials.
In Hoshiarpur, the worst hit areas include 17 villages of Talwara, Mukerian, Dasuya and Tanda areas. More than 2,500 inhabitants of the flood-affected villages have been sent to relief camps and safer places.
Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed to manage the floods and conduct rescue operations.
Mittal added the rescue work by the NDRF and SDRF teams is still going on in several waterlogged villages of the area, including the Fatta Kulla village in Tanda block. In some villages, residents refused to leave their homes, choosing to move to the upper storeys. The administration provided them with food and dry ration.
Many low-lying areas in Rupnagar, including Bhanam village, too had people fleeing their homes. Over 20 other villages, including Harsa Bela, Bhalan, Bela Dhyani, have been inundated in Anandpur Sahib and Nangal areas of Rupnagar district. Over 200 people have evacuated from flood-hit places.
The Gurdaspur district administration announced holidays in government and private schools in flood-hit villages till further orders. Authorities in Rupnagar declared holidays in schools and Anganwadi centres in the affected areas on August 17-18.