By IANS,
Chandigarh: Two more deaths due to floods were reported in Punjab’s Mansa district Friday, taking the toll to 25, officials said. With this, the collective flood toll in Punjab and Haryana went up to 40.
The flood situation remained grim in Sardulgarh area of the district with several acres inundated and various villages submerged. Rescue work was on and the army and paramilitary forces were assisting the district administration in the relief operation.
“Over 9,000 acres of agriculture land has been inundated and several villages are submerged in water in the Sardulgarh area. Floods have damaged 19,452 houses in the district,” Deputy Commissioner Kumar Rahul told IANS.
“Flood water entered five more villages, namely Mirpur Kalan, Mirpur Khurd, Bhagwanpur Hingnan, Alipur and Bern, since Thursday,” he said, adding though the water level has receded at some places, the situation is still grim.
As per official figures, 3.25 lakh acres of land has been submerged in the floods.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal Friday instructed officials to provide relief to every affected farmer within the next seven days.
“Crops on over 3.25 lakh acres have been damaged in different districts of Punjab in the floods. This is a loss of around Rs.480 crore. Floods have also damaged vast network of roads that will require Rs.1,000 crore for repair,” Badal said.
However, the flood situation considerably improved in other affected districts of Punjab and at many places farmers have started re-sowing the crops.
In neighbouring Haryana, rescue work was on in flood-affected areas of Sirsa and Fatehabad districts. So far, 14,000 people from nine villages in Sirsa have been shifted to safe locations.