Yamunanagar (Dadupur), July 28The prestigious Dadupur Nalvi canal scheme which had been planned to benefit 225 villages in the three districts of Yamunanagar, Ambala and Kurukshetra by providing them with irrigation waters and also recharging the groundwater has proved destructive to these villages.
The bridge over the Dadupur-Nalvi canal constructed at a cost of Rs 30 lakh a year ago has collapsed while a large portion of the canal as also the road running parrellel to it have been washed away in overflowing waters near Bhagwanpur village.
Over a dozen villages have been submerged due to a breach in the Dadupur-Nalvi canal and 30 cut off with the bridge over the canal having collapsed.
The irrigation department blames the unexpected high flow of water into the canal triggered by breaches in the two seasonal rivulets of Som and Pathrala for the damage to the canal as well as the bridge.
Superintendent Engineer, Irrigation, Balbir Singh, told The Tribune that the canal with a capacity for 590 cusecs received 4,000 cusecs of water that caused the damage.
The first phase of the Dadupur Nalvi canal scheme was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on August 1. The canal, with a capacity of 590 cusecs, is meant to get water supply from the Dadupur headworks.
The surplus Yamuna water is planned to be diverted from these headworks into the canal during the kharif season for the benefit of farmers.
However, it seems that while planning the prestigious scheme, the irrigation department did not take into account the potential threat to villagers in case of a breach in any of the seasonal rivulets. Doubts are now also being expressed over the material used to build the bridge.
The nearby villagers of Dadupur, Bhagwanpur, Kishanpur Majra, Khadri and Fatehgarh had time and again complained about the possibility of their agricultural land being submerged in waters in the eventuality of a breach.
However the irrigation department disregarded their apprehension which finally resulted in a major disaster.
Meanwhile, nine villages of the Mustafabad block in Jagadhri subdivision were also submerged in the overflowing waters of the Chetang seasonal rivulet here today.
The rise in the water of the rivulet is attributed to heavy rainfall in the catchments areas of Himachal Pardesh. Link roads and crops in these villages are under water.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Panipat’s housing society dumping wastewater in green belt Manish SirhindiTribune News Service (The Tribune- 26 July 2010)
Panipat, July 25In the absence of a proper sewer system, residents of the NFL Employees’ Co-operative House Building Society have been left with no option but to dump their wastewater in the green belt along the NH-1 near the toll plaza.
The green belt has turned into a stinking pond and even the plantation here has been ruined due to the accumulating wastewater. Even as the locals continue to suffer, various government departments, including the HUDA, state Pollution Control Board and the Co-operatives Department, are busy blaming each other for the lapse.
According to the executive engineer of HUDA, during an inspection conducted recently, it was found that the society had been disposing the wastewater in the green belt area due to blockage of the HUDA sewer line.
In reply to an RTI query, the HUDA stated that the blocked sewer could not be rectified in spite of all efforts and thus steps were being taken for re-laying the sewerage system in this area for which the work had been initiated.
The HUDA also said the NFL society had been issued notices to stop disposing wastewater in the green belt. The society had been advised to dispose of the sewage on the other side of Phase II. The HUDA said the issue related to the executive engineer, horticulture division, of HUDA.
The state Pollution Control Board in reply to another RTI query stated that the society had been connected to a sewer of Sector 13-17 of HUDA. Therefore, the responsibility of proper disposal of effluents was that of HUDA. The board said it had issued notices to the executive engineer, HUDA, to install sewer system for all residential and industrial sectors to control water pollution. The board also said it had also collected samples of the water being dumped in the green belt and sent those to its laboratory for testing. The registrar of co-operative societies stated that they had not received any complaint from anybody in this regard and thus no action could be initiated against the society.
RTI activist Rajinder Rathee, who had sought the information using the RTI Act, said he had also asked the Health Department about what sort of health problems could an open disposal of sewage cause and why no action had been initiated to check this problem. The department had so far not given any reply though two and a half months had passed.
He said it was the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities concerned that the locals continue to suffer as no corrective measures were being initiated to resolve the issue.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Punjab flood: Breach in SYL canal, disaster response force called (Hindu 08 July 2010)
With the flood situation in Patiala villages worsening following the breach in the SYL Canal on Tuesday night, Punjab has requisitioned the services of the National Disaster Response Force.
One Ram Singh, 17, of village Sarala Kalan in Ghanaur died and three others are still fighting for their life after they were electrocuted by an electric pole which fell into the water.
Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, who visited the flood-affected areas after making an aerial survey of the flood situation in Patiala, said 800 jawans of the Bathinda-based National Disaster Response Force had been requisitioned for deployment in the flood-affected areas.
“They would be in the flood-prone areas by tomorrow and start relief operations.” He added that two government officials would also be deployed in each flood-affected village to help rescue the marooned residents and carry out relief operations. Badal also gave a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to Ram Singh’s family.
At leat 108 villages around Ghanaur in Patiala district have been hit by the 120-feet wide breach in the SYL Canal. With the water continuing to flow into the villages, the Chief Secretary has been asked to coordinate with his Haryana counterpart to work out a solution.
Badal charged Haryana with diverting water towards Punjab since it had put up bandhs in Hansi-Butana Canal, besides causing a breach in the SYL canal.
Badal also charged the Centre with ignoring Punjab’s demands for protection of bandhs along the Ghaggar for channelising water in the flood-prone area.
Badal said the CM would now take up the issue with the PM to help clear the project for flood-control measures and for channelising the Ghaggar waters in the flood-prone Ghanaur and Kanaouri areas.
One Ram Singh, 17, of village Sarala Kalan in Ghanaur died and three others are still fighting for their life after they were electrocuted by an electric pole which fell into the water.
Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, who visited the flood-affected areas after making an aerial survey of the flood situation in Patiala, said 800 jawans of the Bathinda-based National Disaster Response Force had been requisitioned for deployment in the flood-affected areas.
“They would be in the flood-prone areas by tomorrow and start relief operations.” He added that two government officials would also be deployed in each flood-affected village to help rescue the marooned residents and carry out relief operations. Badal also gave a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to Ram Singh’s family.
At leat 108 villages around Ghanaur in Patiala district have been hit by the 120-feet wide breach in the SYL Canal. With the water continuing to flow into the villages, the Chief Secretary has been asked to coordinate with his Haryana counterpart to work out a solution.
Badal charged Haryana with diverting water towards Punjab since it had put up bandhs in Hansi-Butana Canal, besides causing a breach in the SYL canal.
Badal also charged the Centre with ignoring Punjab’s demands for protection of bandhs along the Ghaggar for channelising water in the flood-prone area.
Badal said the CM would now take up the issue with the PM to help clear the project for flood-control measures and for channelising the Ghaggar waters in the flood-prone Ghanaur and Kanaouri areas.
Farmers suffer huge losses in Haryana flood (Hindu 15 July 2010)
Unable to cultivate their land for many years; standing paddy destroyed
AMBALA: Even as the flood-hit Ambala district in Haryana is limping back to normality with water receding from urban and some parts of rural areas, the villagers of Niharsi, Jansui, Jansua, Bisangarh and Mahmoodpur bewailed the destruction of over 400 acres of cultivated land.
As this correspondent drove along potholed and broken rural road to reach Niharsi, 25 kilometres from Ambala city, the scene was one of utter desolation with standing paddy and other crops completely destroyed. This was caused by gushing waters following a breach in the defunct and almost crumbled Satluj Yamuna Link Canal located nearby. And the collapse of a bridge left a wide gap of almost 500 metres breaking all connectivity.
“Even though there were no human casualties, we have suffered huge losses as we cannot cultivate this land for another four years,'' bewailed Bhajan Singh, Sarpanch of Niharsi and Pritam Singh, Sarpanch of Gaurasiyan, while talking to this correspondent.
They, however, appreciated the relief measures undertaken by the local MLA Venod Sharma and NGOs and said the Government was now getting the bridge rebuilt on war footing. But the issue of concern was compensation to the victims, another Sarpanch said.
Meanwhile, the State Government suspended one Sub- Divisional Officer and two Junior Engineers of the Irrigation Department posted at Ambala for dereliction of duty in the flood relief work. A senior medical officer of the Health Department was also transferred to another district.
State Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati said in Chandigarh that the situation in the flood- affected districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa was under control. The breaches in the SYL canal in Punjab area from Pachis Dhara in village Kami Kalan had been plugged by the Punjab Irrigation Department.
In Fatehabad district, heavy discharge in Ghaggar river had resulted in excessive supply in Rangoi Nallah which had breached at two places.
Efforts were on by the Army to plug these breaches. The water had started receding in rural and urban areas.
In Sirsa, four breaches had occurred on downstream Ottu Weir and 13 villages covering an area of 8,000 acres had been affected.
In Kurukshetra, all the 10 breaches in the Bibipur Lake bund had been plugged and the SYL Canal bank had also been strengthened.
AMBALA: Even as the flood-hit Ambala district in Haryana is limping back to normality with water receding from urban and some parts of rural areas, the villagers of Niharsi, Jansui, Jansua, Bisangarh and Mahmoodpur bewailed the destruction of over 400 acres of cultivated land.
As this correspondent drove along potholed and broken rural road to reach Niharsi, 25 kilometres from Ambala city, the scene was one of utter desolation with standing paddy and other crops completely destroyed. This was caused by gushing waters following a breach in the defunct and almost crumbled Satluj Yamuna Link Canal located nearby. And the collapse of a bridge left a wide gap of almost 500 metres breaking all connectivity.
“Even though there were no human casualties, we have suffered huge losses as we cannot cultivate this land for another four years,'' bewailed Bhajan Singh, Sarpanch of Niharsi and Pritam Singh, Sarpanch of Gaurasiyan, while talking to this correspondent.
They, however, appreciated the relief measures undertaken by the local MLA Venod Sharma and NGOs and said the Government was now getting the bridge rebuilt on war footing. But the issue of concern was compensation to the victims, another Sarpanch said.
Meanwhile, the State Government suspended one Sub- Divisional Officer and two Junior Engineers of the Irrigation Department posted at Ambala for dereliction of duty in the flood relief work. A senior medical officer of the Health Department was also transferred to another district.
State Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati said in Chandigarh that the situation in the flood- affected districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa was under control. The breaches in the SYL canal in Punjab area from Pachis Dhara in village Kami Kalan had been plugged by the Punjab Irrigation Department.
In Fatehabad district, heavy discharge in Ghaggar river had resulted in excessive supply in Rangoi Nallah which had breached at two places.
Efforts were on by the Army to plug these breaches. The water had started receding in rural and urban areas.
In Sirsa, four breaches had occurred on downstream Ottu Weir and 13 villages covering an area of 8,000 acres had been affected.
In Kurukshetra, all the 10 breaches in the Bibipur Lake bund had been plugged and the SYL Canal bank had also been strengthened.
Friday, July 16, 2010
KU chips in to help the flood-hit (9.7.10)
Tribune News Service
HELP ARRIVES: Army jawans distribute food packets to flood victims near Naggal village in Ambala. Tribune photo by Suman Bhatnagar
Kurukshetra, July 8Kurukshetra University took the lead in helping flood victims by distributing about 7,000 food packets and water to people living in the university’s vicinity.
It also decided to provide accommodation on the campus to its present and former employees affected by floods.
Vice-Chancellor Lt Gen Dr DDS Sandhu visited flood affected areas across Gate III and ensured that food and water reached those in need.
The food was being hygienically prepared in the university itself, said university sources.
A team under the supervision of Registrar Raguvendra Tanwar and Chief Warden Sat Dev is monitoring relief operations.
HELP ARRIVES: Army jawans distribute food packets to flood victims near Naggal village in Ambala. Tribune photo by Suman Bhatnagar
Kurukshetra, July 8Kurukshetra University took the lead in helping flood victims by distributing about 7,000 food packets and water to people living in the university’s vicinity.
It also decided to provide accommodation on the campus to its present and former employees affected by floods.
Vice-Chancellor Lt Gen Dr DDS Sandhu visited flood affected areas across Gate III and ensured that food and water reached those in need.
The food was being hygienically prepared in the university itself, said university sources.
A team under the supervision of Registrar Raguvendra Tanwar and Chief Warden Sat Dev is monitoring relief operations.
Ambala-Delhi rail traffic hit; Hisar highway closed (9.7.10)
Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service
Flood Fury
Chief Minister reviews flood situation in Ambala, Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts
Families of deceased to be given a grant of Rs 2 lakh each by state and Rs 1 lakh each by Red Cross
Air Force told to keep choppers ready in Ambala district for dropping food packets in marooned areas
Crops in over 500 acres submerged in Chhachhrauli subdivision of Yamunanagar due to a breach in the Som near Chintpur village
Chandigarh, July 8With fresh breaches in the Ghaggar, the Tangri and the SYL canal, the flood situation in Ambala, Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts in Haryana remains grave.
Rail traffic on the Ambala-Delhi section has been badly affected with the railway bridge on the Markanda, near Shahabad, caving in. While some trains have been diverted via Saharanpur, others have been cancelled. The Ambala-Hisar highway has been breached between Naggal and the Jansui head by the waters of the Tangri river. The traffic on the road has been suspended indefinitely.
The Ambala district administration has requested the Air Force to keep its choppers ready for dropping food packets and water bottles in certain marooned villages if the situation worsens. Boats are not able to reach these villages, though the authorities claim there is no water in the residential areas.
Crops in over 500 acres were submerged in the Chhachhrauli subdivision of Yamunanagar district today due to a breach in the Som near Chintpur village with the rivulet water level rising on account of rainfall in its catchments areas in Himachal Pardesh.
Despite the help of the Army, the 50-ft breach in the SYL canal near Jyotisar in Kurukshetra district has not been plugged yet. The authorities were able to plug another breach in the canal, which occurred 8 km upstream of the earlier breach, last night.
The patience of the people is wearing out, notwithstanding the efforts being made by the administration to provide them succour. Residents of Shahabad blocked the GT Road for about an hour today to protest against the failure of the administration to restore power supply, though the floodwaters have receded. Yesterday, Sadopur residents had blocked the Ambala-Chandigarh highway to protest against the absence of proper drainage.
Thankfully, the flow of water from Punjab is declining. But till the water level in the Ghaggar and the Tangri does not come down, the rainwater accumulated in Ambala district cannot be drained out.
About one lakh acres of agriculture land in about 247 villages of Kurukshetra district have been affected by the floodwaters. Residential areas in 67 villages have been damaged. As many as 19 villages in Guhla subdivision of Kaithal district have been badly affected due to a breach in the Ghaggar near Tatiana village. With the Hansi-Butana link canal overflowing, Kaithal town faces a serious threat of floods. An Air Force team was deputed to drain out water, which flooded the 66 KV substation at Chaurmastpur village. The power supply has been disrupted in the area for past two days. Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati told TNS that 349 trained men along with 52 rescue boats from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had reached the three districts.
Earlier in the day, Governor Jagannath Pahadia and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda reviewed the flood situation with the Chief Secretary and other senior officers. Hooda will again visit the three districts tomorrow.
A grant of Rs 2 lakh each by the Haryana Government and Rs 1 lakh each by the district Red Cross would be given to the next of kin of those killed in the floods.
— With inputs from Bhanu P. Lohumi, Kirandeep, Suman Bhatnagar and Satish Seth
Floods claim 2 more lives (8.7.10)
Suman Bhatnagar
Ambala, July 7
Before receding, the floodwaters claimed two more lives in Ambala district, taking the toll to six. Fifteen-year-old Happy of Ambala cantonment was drowned while crossing the Tangri river. A resident of Boh village, Bhupender Singh, was also drowned.
While residents of the twin cities of Ambala cantonment and Ambala city got some relief after the floodwaters began receding, villagers of surrounding areas continued to be a harassed lot. Sadopur villagers blocked the Chandigarh-Ambala highway to protest against the absence of a drainage policy. The blockade was lifted after an hour on the intervention of the police.
Ambala city’s Sector 9, Baldev Nagar, Manav Chowk, Police Lines, Model Town and Court Road were still under 3-ft water. In Ambala cantonment, Kabari Bazar, Rai Market and Mahesh Nagar remain water-logged.
The Kingfisher tourist complex continues to be under 4-ft water. Its functioning has been suspended since yesterday. The twin cities have been without electricity and water supply for the past 40 hours. Sources in the power department said water had entered the Dhoolkot power station, damaging machinery.
Rail traffic also remained disrupted today. Only Shatabdi Express, Jan Shatabdi and Bhatinda Intercity Express, were back on track today as were 15 goods trains to Punjab and Delhi. The rail track at Mohri and Dukheri stations continued to be water-logged.
Meanwhile, water is coming in the SYL canal from Punjab in a large quantity, which could create problem in the adjoining village close to Naggal. DC said the breach in the Tangri in Punjab had been plugged. The army had been deployed in Dadihana and Dandheri villages for the rescue operations.
At Guhla, Ghaggar above danger mark (8.7.10)
Tribune Reporters
Sirsa, July 7
In view of the heavy showers in the past three days, the district authorities have taken steps to prevent floods in areas falling near the Ghaggar river.
“As of today, there is no threat of floods in any part of the district. The flow of water at the Chandpura head is 2,750 cusecs while in Khanauri the flow is 9,350 cusecs,” said Deputy Commissioner CG Rajini Kaanthan after a review meeting. The DC said there were reports from Guhla near Kaithal that the water flow had increased, but it hovered at 52,000 cusecs for the time being. Kaanthan said the District Revenue Officer Ram Singh Bishnoi had been appointed nodal officer to monitor the situation and a control room set up in his office. Residents could dial 01667-248882 and 01667-235721 for help.Om Parkash, XEN, Water Services Division, Tohana, said the Ghaggar passing through Fatehabad and Sirsa received one-third of the water that flowed near Guhla. 1.5 lakh cusecs at Guhla is considered alarming for our area and with the flow of water at 52,000 cusecs today, there is no immediate threat of floods in the area,”he maintained.
KAITHAL: The increasing water level in the Ghaggar flowing through Guhla in Kaithal district crossed the danger mark this noon following which the administration sounded a red alert and DC Amneet P Kumar accompanied by ADC BB Kaushik have rushed to Guhla.
The water has entered in about half a dozen villages, including Sihali, Paprala , Maingra , Tatiyana, Rattakhera Gharam and Lukman. Guhla SDM Ashok Bansal has been asked to keep a watch over the situation and provide food , drinking water and medicines to the affected people. Government vets have been directed to visit the affected villages too.
As many as 15 boats have been kept ready to meet any eventuality. Earlier, the DC and SDM Hawa Singh visited Keorak village, where the flood waters had entered several localities.
Mohra village turns into lake (8.7.10)
Bhanu P. LohumiTribune News Service
Mohra (Ambala), July 7
Mohra, the last village in Ambala district, along the GT Road was submerged in water on Tuesday. It looked like a lake, its over 1,000 houses and fields of paddy under 4 ft to 5 ft of water.
Inspite of continuous efforts, the villagers were unable to drain out water with the Maura-Junsun head road acting as a dam. Villagers were seen desperately trying to break the road at several points to make an outlet for water.
They could not pump out the water even with the help of a JCB.
As this reporter waddled ahead with clothes soaked and shoes full of mud, he saw helpless villagers see their belongings perish.
The situation was so grim that it was not possible to reach any roadside dhaba, the entire area being inundated. With no electricity and no customer, dhaba owners looked in gloom at the heavens above.
The rail track appeared to be caving in at certain places. The dargah of Baba Saiyad Ibrahim Nauguga Peer Mulana Jee at Kalyana was also submerged in water. Its caretaker rescued himself somehow, finding his way to the main road.
“The villagers have lost food, clothing and shelter. Even the fodder for their cattle has been destroyed,” he said. Describing the rage of gushing waters he said : “Within two hours, the flood waters had entered the houses.
Many of these collapsed. Walls of mud were washed away by the powerful currents.”
Mohra (Ambala), July 7
Mohra, the last village in Ambala district, along the GT Road was submerged in water on Tuesday. It looked like a lake, its over 1,000 houses and fields of paddy under 4 ft to 5 ft of water.
Inspite of continuous efforts, the villagers were unable to drain out water with the Maura-Junsun head road acting as a dam. Villagers were seen desperately trying to break the road at several points to make an outlet for water.
They could not pump out the water even with the help of a JCB.
As this reporter waddled ahead with clothes soaked and shoes full of mud, he saw helpless villagers see their belongings perish.
The situation was so grim that it was not possible to reach any roadside dhaba, the entire area being inundated. With no electricity and no customer, dhaba owners looked in gloom at the heavens above.
The rail track appeared to be caving in at certain places. The dargah of Baba Saiyad Ibrahim Nauguga Peer Mulana Jee at Kalyana was also submerged in water. Its caretaker rescued himself somehow, finding his way to the main road.
“The villagers have lost food, clothing and shelter. Even the fodder for their cattle has been destroyed,” he said. Describing the rage of gushing waters he said : “Within two hours, the flood waters had entered the houses.
Many of these collapsed. Walls of mud were washed away by the powerful currents.”
Road repairs in a fortnight (8.7.10)
Geetanjali GayatriTribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 7
A day after the deluge that inundated Ambala and Kurukshetra, Haryana today stepped up measures to restore normalcy. Traffic on the national and state highways was restored.
While the Irrigation Department suspended drawing water from the Bhakra Main Line and diverted flood waters from the SYL to the Narwana branch, it may take another 24 hours to plug the breach. Power supply to affected areas can be restored only after the water-level recedes. The supply is expected to be restored by tomorrow.
The Public Heath Department has installed gensets to pump out water from inundated areas of Ambala while canal-based water supply has been restored. Officials of the Public Works (Buildings and Roads) Department maintain that it will take nearly a fortnight to carry out repairs on the damaged national highways.
Principal Secretary, Irrigation, SS Dhillon, said the discharge from the BML was down to zero with the state seeking suspension of the 500 cusecs flowing into Haryana till yesterday.
“While there is 7,000 cusecs of water in the SYL as of now, the Narwana branch is also full to capacity with nearly 4,000 cusecs of water. Our effort is to bring down the water level in the two canals from 11,000 cusecs to 7,500 cusecs.
This may take 24 more hours and it’s only after this is achieved that we can plug the breach,” he said. The Engineer-in-Chief, Public Works (Band R) Department, Mahesh Kumar, said: “We are keeping a watch on the waters from the SYL threatening to flood the Ambala-Kaithal highway.” Claiming that power supply to 90 per cent of Ambala cantt had been restored, the MD, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, said: “To avoid the threat of electrocution, our team carries out patrolling of 11 KV lines, checks them and declares them safe before power can be restored. Our teams are on the job.” The restoration of power from the 220 KV Dhulkot sub-station, the 60 KV sub-station at Shahbad and another in Ismailabad was likely to be accomplished tomorrow, he added. While life limps back to normal in Ambala and Kurukshetra, it may take a few days for normalcy to return to these areas. That is, if the weather gods continue to smile and there are no more rains over the next few days.
Marooned residents rescued Jawans working round the clock to plug breach in SYL canal (8.7.10)
DR Vij
Kurukshetra, July 7
Heavy rainfall in the area during the past two days has caused about 50-ft breach in the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal near Jyotisar, 5 km from here, flooding several acres of land under cultivation and residential colonies, including the nearby Didar Nagar and Shanti Nagar.
The DC, Pankaj Aggarwal, camping on the Kurukshetra-Pehowa road near Jyotisar, said 150 jawans of the National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMAI) were engaged in plugging the breach and evacuating victims from Didar Nagar and Shanti Nagar under 5-ft water.
Ten motorboats and 20 divers were helping the victims shift to dharamshalas and the two government schools turned into relief camps.
Schools in the district had been closed for the next two days.
At least 5,000 food packets had been distributed among the victims. Water tanks of the municipality were supplying water to the victims. Various voluntary organisations were also helping the administration in the relief work.
The administration has established three control rooms The telephone numbers are 01744-221035 (District Revenue Office), 01744-220270 (DC’s Office) and 01744-220271 (DC’s camp office).
“The flood waters are being drained out from populated areas on a war footing. We are always with the people during such trying times,” said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda after visiting areas affected by the SYL canal breach. Hooda visited Didar Nagar and Shanti Nagar.
He directed senior officers to work round the clock to plug the breach.
Vidhan Sabha Speaker Harmohinder Singh Chatha, Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, Shahabad MLA Anil Dhantori and Principal Secretary to CM Chhattar Singh were among those who accompanied the Chief Minister.
Yamunanagar: The rising water level in the Yamuna has created tension among inhabitants of 50 low-lying villages.
The water level of the Yamuna was recorded at 59, 315 cusecs at the Hathnikund barrage this morning. Any further rise in the water level may cause damage to villages in the district, Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat.
The administration today set up control rooms in Chhachhrauli, Bilaspur, Sadhaura and Jagadhri to monitor the Yamuna and rivulet Som.
The Hathnikund barrage has 18 floodgates. — TNS
Kaithal deluged Satish Seth (7.7.10)
Kaithal, July 6
Hundreds of crores spent on development yet civic amenities remain in bad shape. The first monsoon showers here today saw major roads submerged in water for hours because of poor drainage.
This put commuters to great inconvenience. Many low- lying residential colonies were flooded. Residents expressed resentment over the failure of the authorities to clean the drains before the onset of the rainy season. They pointed that no major desilting operation was carried out and almost all major nullahs constructed in the past few years remained choked, aggravating the situation.
In several areas where residents with no sewer connection have directly connected their toilets with the open drains, the stink was unbearable, they said.
The Public Health Department also drew a flak as no drive was launched by the department to clean sewer lines.
Interestingly, Randeep Singh Surjewala, local MLA, is Public Health and PWD Minister.
He has ensured development at a huge expenditure running into hundreds of crores, yet basic civic amenities remain a distant dream. An alert has been sounded in the state with the entire Ambala town and over 12 villages in the region flooded with up to 5 ft water due to a breach in the Tangri river, throwing rail and road traffic out of gear.
The Army has been summoned to plug the breach.
Randeep S Surjewala, Kaithal MLA, Public Health and PWD Minister, has ensured development at a huge expenditure running into undreds of crores, yet basic civic amenities in the town remain a distant dream
Kaithal’s busiest road outside the PWD Rest House that remained waterlogged on Tuesday after heavy showers. A Tribune photograph
Three times more rainfall than July 2009 (7.7.10)
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 6The first six days of this month brought three times more rainfall in Haryana as compared to the corresponding period last year and many times more than the rain during the same period in 2008-09. According to sources in the Revenue Department, the entire state received 4,851 mm rainfall from July 1 to 6 (8 am to 8 pm), while it had rained 1,654 mm during the first six days of July last and 403 mm in the same period during 2008-09.
Heavy rains have created havoc in the state with many areas waterlogged. Ambala, which is witnessing flood-like situation, received 182 mm rainfall as compared to 59 mm last year. Naraingarh received 92 mm (12 mm); Jagadhri 152 mm (20 mm); Chhachhrauli 125 mm, Mustafabad 114 mm (39 mm) and Radaur 232 mm (42 mm).
The rainfall recorded in other areas of Haryana is as follows:
Bhiwani 109 mm (29 mm); Dadri 79 mm (18 mm); Loharu 2 mm (7 mm); Siwani, Bawani Khera and Tosham 16 mm each (7 mm each); Faridabad 34 mm (18 mm); Ballabhgarh 24 mm (2 mm); Gurgaon 159 mm (5 mm); Farukh Nagar 190 mm (12 mm); Sohna 111 mm (24 mm); Pataudi 212 mm (65 mm). Hisar 23 mm (10 mm); Hansi 18 mm (9 mm); Adampur 9 mm (2 mm); Jind 42 mm (4 mm); Narwana 41 mm (44 mm); Safidon 72 mm (72 mm); Julana 70 mm (24 mm); Uchana 23 mm (23 mm); Pilu Khera 47 mm (25 mm); Karnal 105 mm (12 mm). Assandh 38 mm (53 mm); Indri 145 mm (35 mm); Nilokheri 123 mm (25 mm); Gharaunda 58 mm (23 mm); Panipat 45 mm (56 mm); Israna 43 mm (9 mm); Samalkha 42 mm (6 mm); Kurukshetra 58 mm; Pehowa 95 mm (2 mm); Kaithal 61 mm (5 mm); Kalayat 39 mm (6 mm); Guhla 85 mm (12 mm); Narnaul 39 mm (21 mm); Mahendragarh 16 mm (7 mm); Bawal 72 mm (59 mm); Rohtak 27 mm (20 mm); Gohana 97 mm (10 mm); Kalka 68 mm (2 mm); Panchkula 85 mm (2 mm); Fatehabad 49 mm (1 mm); Ratia 37 mm; Tohana 36 (10 mm). Bahadurgarh 41 mm (4 mm); Taoru 67 mm (12 mm); Nuh 88 mm (29 mm); Punhana 15 mm (4 mm); Hodal 57 mm (15 mm); Palwal 38 mm (11 mm) and Hathin 40 mm (13 mm).
Chandigarh, July 6The first six days of this month brought three times more rainfall in Haryana as compared to the corresponding period last year and many times more than the rain during the same period in 2008-09. According to sources in the Revenue Department, the entire state received 4,851 mm rainfall from July 1 to 6 (8 am to 8 pm), while it had rained 1,654 mm during the first six days of July last and 403 mm in the same period during 2008-09.
Heavy rains have created havoc in the state with many areas waterlogged. Ambala, which is witnessing flood-like situation, received 182 mm rainfall as compared to 59 mm last year. Naraingarh received 92 mm (12 mm); Jagadhri 152 mm (20 mm); Chhachhrauli 125 mm, Mustafabad 114 mm (39 mm) and Radaur 232 mm (42 mm).
The rainfall recorded in other areas of Haryana is as follows:
Bhiwani 109 mm (29 mm); Dadri 79 mm (18 mm); Loharu 2 mm (7 mm); Siwani, Bawani Khera and Tosham 16 mm each (7 mm each); Faridabad 34 mm (18 mm); Ballabhgarh 24 mm (2 mm); Gurgaon 159 mm (5 mm); Farukh Nagar 190 mm (12 mm); Sohna 111 mm (24 mm); Pataudi 212 mm (65 mm). Hisar 23 mm (10 mm); Hansi 18 mm (9 mm); Adampur 9 mm (2 mm); Jind 42 mm (4 mm); Narwana 41 mm (44 mm); Safidon 72 mm (72 mm); Julana 70 mm (24 mm); Uchana 23 mm (23 mm); Pilu Khera 47 mm (25 mm); Karnal 105 mm (12 mm). Assandh 38 mm (53 mm); Indri 145 mm (35 mm); Nilokheri 123 mm (25 mm); Gharaunda 58 mm (23 mm); Panipat 45 mm (56 mm); Israna 43 mm (9 mm); Samalkha 42 mm (6 mm); Kurukshetra 58 mm; Pehowa 95 mm (2 mm); Kaithal 61 mm (5 mm); Kalayat 39 mm (6 mm); Guhla 85 mm (12 mm); Narnaul 39 mm (21 mm); Mahendragarh 16 mm (7 mm); Bawal 72 mm (59 mm); Rohtak 27 mm (20 mm); Gohana 97 mm (10 mm); Kalka 68 mm (2 mm); Panchkula 85 mm (2 mm); Fatehabad 49 mm (1 mm); Ratia 37 mm; Tohana 36 (10 mm). Bahadurgarh 41 mm (4 mm); Taoru 67 mm (12 mm); Nuh 88 mm (29 mm); Punhana 15 mm (4 mm); Hodal 57 mm (15 mm); Palwal 38 mm (11 mm) and Hathin 40 mm (13 mm).
Ambala afloat, Army in
Four persons electrocuted n Power switched off as precaution n Rail services severely disrupted n Flood alert in Punjab, HaryanaYoginder Gupta and Suman BhatnagarTribune News Service
Ambala Cantt station, Tuesday.
Chandigarh, July 6The Army has been called out in Ambala and Kurukshetra districts of Haryana, ravaged by floods following heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours.
At least four persons, including 10-year-old Rajnish of Naggal area, were electrocuted in Ambala, following which electricity was switched off. The supply was not restored till the time of reporting.
Ambala remained cut off from Chandigarh and Yamunanagar till late in the evening. Rail services were badly affected after the rail track at Ambala Cantt and certain other places was waterlogged.
The Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabadi Express, which should have reached Chandigarh at 11 am, was held up between Kurukshetra and Ambala. It reached Chandigarh at about 9 pm.
The passengers, including a number of senior Haryana bureaucrats, had a harrowing time. A resident of Panchkula, Mahesh Chandgothia, whose cousin, Nikunj Sanghi, was one of the passengers, told The Tribune that there was neither water nor food with the catering staff. It was only in the evening that the train reached Ambala and eatables were served. At least four passenger trains were cancelled today.
The Ambala DC said a breach in the Tangri river in the Jadhpur subdivision in neighbouring Punjab had added to the woes of the people. Even the Ghaggar was posing a threat. In Kurukshetra district, the SYL canal had been breached at point 36 near Jyotisar, flooding the low-lying areas of Shahabad.
A large number of localities in Ambala city and cantonment were under knee-deep water. Several roads to and from Ambala too were under water. With the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway flooded, traffic was diverted towards Banur from Haryana’s border with Punjab.
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has directed the administration to launch rescue and relief operations on a war footing. Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati is in constant touch with her Punjab counterpart to monitor the situation arising out of flood waters entering Haryana from the neighbouring state.
Financial Commissioner and Principle Secretary, Irrigation, SS Dhillon, is in Ambala to expedite the relief operations.
Bhanu P. Lohumi reports from Mohra village on the G.T. Road: The people of Mohra, the last village in Ambala district, and several adjoining villages had never imagined that the monsoons, for which they had been praying earnestly, would wreak havoc on them. The low-lying village along the GT Road was totally submerged in water. Even with trousers folded up to the knees, it was not possible to enter the village and people were virtually swimming their way to the road. “Since morning, the villagers have been trying to drain out water,” said sarpanch Ajmer Singh. The misery had been compounded by the ongoing six-laning of the GT Road with all outlets for flood waters blocked, he added. The villagers rued that it was not for the first time that floods had wreaked havoc.
Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal conducted aerial survey of marooned villages of Samrala sub-division. Later, he held a review meeting with district authorities, an official spokesman said here. Special pumps will be shipped into the affected areas to drain out flood water, he said. He said a statewide alert has been issued and officials were instructed to monitor water-level in all canals and rivers.
22 trains hit
Rail traffic was disrupted following flooding of railway yards at Ambala junction and Samrala. At least 22 trains were halted at stations en route the region as four others were cancelled and several diverted.
The trains running through Ludhiana-Ambala-Delhi section were diverted via Ludhiana-Dhuri-Jakhal-Rohtak-Delhi section while the traffic through Ambala-Chandigarh-Kalka and Ambala-Sharanpur sections had been suspended, Divisional Commercial Manager GM Singh said.
Ambala was wettest in the region at 190 mm of rains followed by Dera Bassi 130.4 mm, Rajpura 112.6 mm, Ropar 93 mm, Patiala 90.5 mm, Chandigarh 86.8 mm, Karnal 63 mm, Nangal Dam 59.1 mm, Sangrur 50.2 mm and Nawanshahr 30 mm.
Ambala Cantt station, Tuesday.
Chandigarh, July 6The Army has been called out in Ambala and Kurukshetra districts of Haryana, ravaged by floods following heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours.
At least four persons, including 10-year-old Rajnish of Naggal area, were electrocuted in Ambala, following which electricity was switched off. The supply was not restored till the time of reporting.
Ambala remained cut off from Chandigarh and Yamunanagar till late in the evening. Rail services were badly affected after the rail track at Ambala Cantt and certain other places was waterlogged.
The Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabadi Express, which should have reached Chandigarh at 11 am, was held up between Kurukshetra and Ambala. It reached Chandigarh at about 9 pm.
The passengers, including a number of senior Haryana bureaucrats, had a harrowing time. A resident of Panchkula, Mahesh Chandgothia, whose cousin, Nikunj Sanghi, was one of the passengers, told The Tribune that there was neither water nor food with the catering staff. It was only in the evening that the train reached Ambala and eatables were served. At least four passenger trains were cancelled today.
The Ambala DC said a breach in the Tangri river in the Jadhpur subdivision in neighbouring Punjab had added to the woes of the people. Even the Ghaggar was posing a threat. In Kurukshetra district, the SYL canal had been breached at point 36 near Jyotisar, flooding the low-lying areas of Shahabad.
A large number of localities in Ambala city and cantonment were under knee-deep water. Several roads to and from Ambala too were under water. With the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway flooded, traffic was diverted towards Banur from Haryana’s border with Punjab.
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has directed the administration to launch rescue and relief operations on a war footing. Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati is in constant touch with her Punjab counterpart to monitor the situation arising out of flood waters entering Haryana from the neighbouring state.
Financial Commissioner and Principle Secretary, Irrigation, SS Dhillon, is in Ambala to expedite the relief operations.
Bhanu P. Lohumi reports from Mohra village on the G.T. Road: The people of Mohra, the last village in Ambala district, and several adjoining villages had never imagined that the monsoons, for which they had been praying earnestly, would wreak havoc on them. The low-lying village along the GT Road was totally submerged in water. Even with trousers folded up to the knees, it was not possible to enter the village and people were virtually swimming their way to the road. “Since morning, the villagers have been trying to drain out water,” said sarpanch Ajmer Singh. The misery had been compounded by the ongoing six-laning of the GT Road with all outlets for flood waters blocked, he added. The villagers rued that it was not for the first time that floods had wreaked havoc.
Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal conducted aerial survey of marooned villages of Samrala sub-division. Later, he held a review meeting with district authorities, an official spokesman said here. Special pumps will be shipped into the affected areas to drain out flood water, he said. He said a statewide alert has been issued and officials were instructed to monitor water-level in all canals and rivers.
22 trains hit
Rail traffic was disrupted following flooding of railway yards at Ambala junction and Samrala. At least 22 trains were halted at stations en route the region as four others were cancelled and several diverted.
The trains running through Ludhiana-Ambala-Delhi section were diverted via Ludhiana-Dhuri-Jakhal-Rohtak-Delhi section while the traffic through Ambala-Chandigarh-Kalka and Ambala-Sharanpur sections had been suspended, Divisional Commercial Manager GM Singh said.
Ambala was wettest in the region at 190 mm of rains followed by Dera Bassi 130.4 mm, Rajpura 112.6 mm, Ropar 93 mm, Patiala 90.5 mm, Chandigarh 86.8 mm, Karnal 63 mm, Nangal Dam 59.1 mm, Sangrur 50.2 mm and Nawanshahr 30 mm.
UP, Haryana agree to end land dispute
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 4Uttar Pradesh and Haryana will find a solution to the interstate dispute regarding the land along the Yamuna, coming under the Dixit Award, within a few months.
This was decided at a meeting between the DC of Palwal in Haryana and that of Aligarh in UP, Amit Kumar Aggarwal and K Ram Mohan Rao, respectively, held at Palwal recently. Revenue officers were also present at the meeting.
Earlier, a meeting between the Commissioner, Rohtak, and Commissioner, Meerut, was held a few days ago to end the long-standing land dispute between the two states.
Aggarwal said the cultivable land adjoining the Yamuna had been shifting from one state to the other following the change of course by the river.The boundary between the two states was determined under the Dixit Award in 1975 and pillars were fixed to mark the boundary.
However, now only a few of the pillars fixed at that time remained at the site. Now, the work to mark the land would again be conducted by the Survey of India, with whom Rs 18.95 lakh had already been deposited by the Palwal administration.The Survey of India would complete the work in the next few months and the pillars would be fixed again putting an end to the dispute between the two states.
Another meeting would be held next month at Aligarh. It was also decided by both the DCs to stop the work of registry and intkal of the disputed land till the Survey of India completed its task of marking the land.
Chandigarh, July 4Uttar Pradesh and Haryana will find a solution to the interstate dispute regarding the land along the Yamuna, coming under the Dixit Award, within a few months.
This was decided at a meeting between the DC of Palwal in Haryana and that of Aligarh in UP, Amit Kumar Aggarwal and K Ram Mohan Rao, respectively, held at Palwal recently. Revenue officers were also present at the meeting.
Earlier, a meeting between the Commissioner, Rohtak, and Commissioner, Meerut, was held a few days ago to end the long-standing land dispute between the two states.
Aggarwal said the cultivable land adjoining the Yamuna had been shifting from one state to the other following the change of course by the river.The boundary between the two states was determined under the Dixit Award in 1975 and pillars were fixed to mark the boundary.
However, now only a few of the pillars fixed at that time remained at the site. Now, the work to mark the land would again be conducted by the Survey of India, with whom Rs 18.95 lakh had already been deposited by the Palwal administration.The Survey of India would complete the work in the next few months and the pillars would be fixed again putting an end to the dispute between the two states.
Another meeting would be held next month at Aligarh. It was also decided by both the DCs to stop the work of registry and intkal of the disputed land till the Survey of India completed its task of marking the land.
HUDA administrator disowns notices
Sunit Dhawan
Tribune News Service
Gurgaon, July 3The local HUDA administrator has distanced himself from his recent announcement of disconnecting the water supply and sewer connections to the house owners of builder-licensed areas of the city who have not obtained their occupation certificates.
An official press note was issued on behalf of the local HUDA administrator, Nitin Yadav, here on June 30.
In that statement, Yadav had stated that the water supply and sewer connections of those house owners of Gurgaon who had occupied the houses in builder-licensed residential colonies without obtaining the mandatory occupation certificate from the Town and Country Planning Department would be cut.
Yadav had said as per the terms and conditions of the licence, an approval of building plan must be obtained before undertaking the construction work and an occupation certificate had to be obtained before occupying the building.
However, in a fresh press note issued here today, it was claimed that the notices for disconnecting the services of the houses in licensed private colonies had been issued by the Town and Country Planning Department and not by the HUDA administrator.
In the statement, a spokesman for the department said the name of HUDA administrator Nitin Yadav was inadvertently included in the press note issued on Wednesday regarding the disconnecting of services to the houses whose occupants had not taken occupation certificate, whereas he had nothing to do with the issuing of notices.
“In fact, the notices have been issued by the Senior Town Planner on behalf of the Town and Country Planning Department,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, talking to The Tribune, RS Rathee, president of the Gurgaon Citizens Council, maintained that the HUDA administrator had distanced himself from the issue after they complained to the Chief Administrator of HUDA of the undue interference and highhandedness of the local HUDA authorities.
Meanwhile, a special cell has been created at the local circle office of the Town and Country Planning Department to attend to the colonisers and residents, who have been given two weeks’ time to obtain the certificates.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Wires and water, Delhi’s fatal combo (Indian Express 14 July 2010)
Old City under tangle of wires, but no one to tie them all in
A day after two persons were electrocuted at Dariba Kalan in Chandni Chowk, the civic agencies, the police and local traders are blaming each other for the deaths.
The traders claim the local police post “had been drawing electricity illegally by connecting wires to the streetlights. “The same wire fell off the nearby pole into the waterlogged street causing the incident around 8 pm on Monday.”
“Ramesh, a local vendor, came in contact with the wire and was electrocuted. Just then, amid the chaos, Ram Kishan, a resident of Karawal Nagar, who was wading through the waterlogged street with his bicycle, toppled over something and fell into the water. He too was electrocuted,” said the local traders who claimed to have witnessed the incident.
However, the police have rubbished the allegations, claiming an electric wire fell off a light pole in the area. “We received information about the incident at around 8.30 pm and immediately rushed to the spot. On preliminary investigation it was found that the wire had fallen off a central verge light pole,” said Palvinder Singh Chahal, Station House Officer, Kotwali Police Station.
Discom BSES Yamuna, which supplies power in the area, blamed the MCD saying the electrocution was caused by poor maintenance of the streelights.
The incident has once again highlighted the need to rid Old Delhi of its maze of loose over-head wiring. In fact, Fire department officials said 90 per cent of the fires in Old Delhi are triggered by such loose wires, when they come in contact with other structures. Though the fires are seldom big, they are frequent enough to constantly keep the residents and shopkeepers on their toes.
The BSES had submitted a proposal to Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation in 2005 to use hi-tech equipment for micro-tunneling and trenching to move overhead high-tension and distribution wires underground. At the time, the MCD, planning to implement its Jama Masjid redevelopment plan, claimed this would interfere with its works. A year later, MCD too came up with a plan to shift all wires underground. Both BSES and MCD officials now claim “the overhead mess is constituted mainly by local cable television wires and work is on to shift the electric cables underground”. This January, the MCD issued a public notice asking all parties concerned to remove overhead cables from Chandni Chowk by February-end. Almost five months on, Old Delhi continues to host a tangle of cable TV and high-tension electric wires. The MCD has now started snapping overhead TV cables in many
A day after two persons were electrocuted at Dariba Kalan in Chandni Chowk, the civic agencies, the police and local traders are blaming each other for the deaths.
The traders claim the local police post “had been drawing electricity illegally by connecting wires to the streetlights. “The same wire fell off the nearby pole into the waterlogged street causing the incident around 8 pm on Monday.”
“Ramesh, a local vendor, came in contact with the wire and was electrocuted. Just then, amid the chaos, Ram Kishan, a resident of Karawal Nagar, who was wading through the waterlogged street with his bicycle, toppled over something and fell into the water. He too was electrocuted,” said the local traders who claimed to have witnessed the incident.
However, the police have rubbished the allegations, claiming an electric wire fell off a light pole in the area. “We received information about the incident at around 8.30 pm and immediately rushed to the spot. On preliminary investigation it was found that the wire had fallen off a central verge light pole,” said Palvinder Singh Chahal, Station House Officer, Kotwali Police Station.
Discom BSES Yamuna, which supplies power in the area, blamed the MCD saying the electrocution was caused by poor maintenance of the streelights.
The incident has once again highlighted the need to rid Old Delhi of its maze of loose over-head wiring. In fact, Fire department officials said 90 per cent of the fires in Old Delhi are triggered by such loose wires, when they come in contact with other structures. Though the fires are seldom big, they are frequent enough to constantly keep the residents and shopkeepers on their toes.
The BSES had submitted a proposal to Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation in 2005 to use hi-tech equipment for micro-tunneling and trenching to move overhead high-tension and distribution wires underground. At the time, the MCD, planning to implement its Jama Masjid redevelopment plan, claimed this would interfere with its works. A year later, MCD too came up with a plan to shift all wires underground. Both BSES and MCD officials now claim “the overhead mess is constituted mainly by local cable television wires and work is on to shift the electric cables underground”. This January, the MCD issued a public notice asking all parties concerned to remove overhead cables from Chandni Chowk by February-end. Almost five months on, Old Delhi continues to host a tangle of cable TV and high-tension electric wires. The MCD has now started snapping overhead TV cables in many
Water still on roads, minister says things better than last year (Indian Express 14 July 2010)
While PWD Minister Rajkumar Chauhan claims water-logging was far less this year as compared to that after last year’s deluge, the traffic police will beg to differ. On Monday night, the traffic police was forced to call reserve forces to help clear traffic on Ring Road.
To make matters worse, even Delhi’s showpiece Lutyens’ Zone ended up under water after Monday’s deluge. “The road in front of Shanti Van was submerged. The entire Ring Road got clogged because of water-logging. We had to call for a platoon of reserve force to manage the traffic,” said Joint Commissioner Traffic Satyendera Garg. The traffic finally cleared on this stretch by 1.30 am.
After an inspection of the streetscaping work, Chauhan, meanwhile, said water-logging this year was far less compared to last year. “I have visited several streetscaping projects. Fewer incidents of water-logging were reported this time around. Along with the Chief Minister, I also visited Ring Road Bypass and I believe that once the project is complete traffic on Ring Road will ease up,” Chauhan told reporters.
Government employee C K Singh might hope this happens soon. “I left Delhi Secretariat at 7.30 pm, but reached home in Rohini at midnight. I was stuck all along on Ring Road. Even the divider was under water,” he said.
The clover leaf road of IP flyover was also flooded, adding to the pressure on Ring Road. The traffic jam here affected ITO intersection and the trail went on till Mandi House. On the other side, the Gol Dak Khana post office roundabout was also flooded. The traffic police claim this was due to the ongoing construction work by DMRC on Baba Kharak Singh Road, which accentuated the problem. Water-logging here affected traffic on Ashoka Road, Parliament Street and even Connaught Place were affected.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also accepted that debris strewn on the road due to ongoing construction works is a cause for water-logging. “We have asked the agencies to clear debris by August 10. But yesterday’s traffic jams were due to unusual rain,” she said.
All is well, says MCDEven as the traffic police got complaints of water-logging from Dhaula Kuan underpass, IP Flyover and the new ITO Chungi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi claims Delhi roads were clear on Tuesday. The MCD’s Central Control Room claimed to have received no complaints of water-logging on Tuesday. They further maintained that water-logging and traffic havoc caused on Monday evening following heavy rains was a result of the massive construction work currently on in the Capital.
At a top-level meeting held on Tuesday morning, the MCD further recommended some “remedial action” while stressing on “better coordination” among various civic agencies to ensure effective response to situation arising out of heavy rain.
The Corporation said it will ensure its officials stay on the field during rain in the coming weeks to make sure that immediate necessary action is taken, especially at vulnerable points.
“We have directed all MCD officials to ensure that vulnerable points already identified should be given special emphasis. It must be ensured that the suction pumps are kept ready. It was also emphasised where other agencies are carrying out development works... the fault should be brought to their notice,” said Mayor P R Sawhney.
To make matters worse, even Delhi’s showpiece Lutyens’ Zone ended up under water after Monday’s deluge. “The road in front of Shanti Van was submerged. The entire Ring Road got clogged because of water-logging. We had to call for a platoon of reserve force to manage the traffic,” said Joint Commissioner Traffic Satyendera Garg. The traffic finally cleared on this stretch by 1.30 am.
After an inspection of the streetscaping work, Chauhan, meanwhile, said water-logging this year was far less compared to last year. “I have visited several streetscaping projects. Fewer incidents of water-logging were reported this time around. Along with the Chief Minister, I also visited Ring Road Bypass and I believe that once the project is complete traffic on Ring Road will ease up,” Chauhan told reporters.
Government employee C K Singh might hope this happens soon. “I left Delhi Secretariat at 7.30 pm, but reached home in Rohini at midnight. I was stuck all along on Ring Road. Even the divider was under water,” he said.
The clover leaf road of IP flyover was also flooded, adding to the pressure on Ring Road. The traffic jam here affected ITO intersection and the trail went on till Mandi House. On the other side, the Gol Dak Khana post office roundabout was also flooded. The traffic police claim this was due to the ongoing construction work by DMRC on Baba Kharak Singh Road, which accentuated the problem. Water-logging here affected traffic on Ashoka Road, Parliament Street and even Connaught Place were affected.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also accepted that debris strewn on the road due to ongoing construction works is a cause for water-logging. “We have asked the agencies to clear debris by August 10. But yesterday’s traffic jams were due to unusual rain,” she said.
All is well, says MCDEven as the traffic police got complaints of water-logging from Dhaula Kuan underpass, IP Flyover and the new ITO Chungi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi claims Delhi roads were clear on Tuesday. The MCD’s Central Control Room claimed to have received no complaints of water-logging on Tuesday. They further maintained that water-logging and traffic havoc caused on Monday evening following heavy rains was a result of the massive construction work currently on in the Capital.
At a top-level meeting held on Tuesday morning, the MCD further recommended some “remedial action” while stressing on “better coordination” among various civic agencies to ensure effective response to situation arising out of heavy rain.
The Corporation said it will ensure its officials stay on the field during rain in the coming weeks to make sure that immediate necessary action is taken, especially at vulnerable points.
“We have directed all MCD officials to ensure that vulnerable points already identified should be given special emphasis. It must be ensured that the suction pumps are kept ready. It was also emphasised where other agencies are carrying out development works... the fault should be brought to their notice,” said Mayor P R Sawhney.
Sheila cracks the whip over rain mess (Hindu 14 July 2010)
Day after: Vehicles move at a snail's pace through a water-logged Laxmi Nagar underpass after Monday's rain in New Delhi.
NEW DELHI: With one heavy shower on Monday and the resultant water-logging exposing how ill-prepared the Capital is for the rainy season despite various review meetings to oversee the preparations for de-silting of drains and removal of debris from the roads, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday admitted that “a lot of rubble was lying around'' and directed the various agencies to sort out the mess.
The Chief Minister, who earlier in the day took a round of the spots across the city which witnessed heavy water-logging that resulted in long traffic jams and later convened a high-level meeting, blamed the ongoing construction activities of different agencies like the Public Works Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for the problem.
Ms. Dikshit said it had been announced earlier that August 10 would be the deadline for clearing all of it. “Let that date come,'' she said, adding that most of this debris was from projects related to the Commonwealth Games.
At the meeting, it was also stated that another reason for the extensive water-logging was that the drains had not been de-silted properly despite large sums of money allocated every year for the purpose.
The worst part of the water-logging was that it even took place at the underpass of the newly constructed ITO Chungi grade separator. Many vehicles broke down resulting in long traffic snarls behind.
The squall also blew away portions of the roof of the under-construction table tennis stadium at the Yamuna Sports Complex in the trans-Yamuna area.
With the Games just two months away, the Chief Minister directed all the civic agencies to undertake improvement work on the drainage system and repair the roads damaged by the rains on priority.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Vijender Gupta has demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister for the sorry state of affairs in the city in the wake of the season's heaviest rainfall which claimed 11 lives.
NEW DELHI: With one heavy shower on Monday and the resultant water-logging exposing how ill-prepared the Capital is for the rainy season despite various review meetings to oversee the preparations for de-silting of drains and removal of debris from the roads, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday admitted that “a lot of rubble was lying around'' and directed the various agencies to sort out the mess.
The Chief Minister, who earlier in the day took a round of the spots across the city which witnessed heavy water-logging that resulted in long traffic jams and later convened a high-level meeting, blamed the ongoing construction activities of different agencies like the Public Works Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for the problem.
Ms. Dikshit said it had been announced earlier that August 10 would be the deadline for clearing all of it. “Let that date come,'' she said, adding that most of this debris was from projects related to the Commonwealth Games.
At the meeting, it was also stated that another reason for the extensive water-logging was that the drains had not been de-silted properly despite large sums of money allocated every year for the purpose.
The worst part of the water-logging was that it even took place at the underpass of the newly constructed ITO Chungi grade separator. Many vehicles broke down resulting in long traffic snarls behind.
The squall also blew away portions of the roof of the under-construction table tennis stadium at the Yamuna Sports Complex in the trans-Yamuna area.
With the Games just two months away, the Chief Minister directed all the civic agencies to undertake improvement work on the drainage system and repair the roads damaged by the rains on priority.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Vijender Gupta has demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister for the sorry state of affairs in the city in the wake of the season's heaviest rainfall which claimed 11 lives.
Rain washes away MCD claims (Hindustan Times 14 July 2010)
Capital's first monsoon showers have exposed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) inefficiency to handle waterlogging. The civic agency received more than 150 complaints of waterlogging in the past 48 hours alone.
The MCD, however, claims it has overreached its de-silting targets for the first round and that it is set to handle the rains.
But the statistics speak otherwise. On Tuesday alone, MCD's control room received 55 complaints of waterlogging. The worst-hit areas were Rohini zone and the South zone. Traffic jams were visible across the city, with ongoing construction activities making the situation worse.
Several traffic signals were also out of order creating utter confusion amongst motorists. "Some of the traffic lights were not working due to waterlogging, some due to the restoration work. Restoring traffic lights to order took a little longer than usual today but we had personnel at every place where the lights were not working," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg.
Air passengers, too, had a tough time reaching Delhi airport on Tuesday due to waterlogging on the airport's access roads after heavy rainfall.
The road outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport's domestic arrival terminal was completely flooded, which slowed down vehicles and created traffic snarls. Airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) had to use pumps to drain out the water, an exercise that took out a few hours. Water had also seeped inside the low-lying arrival terminal.
The newly constructed Terminal 3 also faced problems after two drains outside the building started overflowing.
In a meeting on Tuesday attended by various civic agencies, the MCD reiterated that no construction activity should damage the drainage system. "Whenever there is a heavy downpour, water takes time to clear out. In many cases, we get blamed for shortcomings of other agencies," said Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney said.
The civic body has blamed, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, BRT and the Public Works Department for damaging the existing drainage system of areas that reported major waterlogging.
"Before monsoons, MCD had installed silt chambers along drains to sieve the silt out at an early stage. While one round of de-silting was completed in February the second got over on June 30. Priority is now being given to the areas where the Games stadiums are located,” Sawhney said.
The MCD, however, claims it has overreached its de-silting targets for the first round and that it is set to handle the rains.
But the statistics speak otherwise. On Tuesday alone, MCD's control room received 55 complaints of waterlogging. The worst-hit areas were Rohini zone and the South zone. Traffic jams were visible across the city, with ongoing construction activities making the situation worse.
Several traffic signals were also out of order creating utter confusion amongst motorists. "Some of the traffic lights were not working due to waterlogging, some due to the restoration work. Restoring traffic lights to order took a little longer than usual today but we had personnel at every place where the lights were not working," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg.
Air passengers, too, had a tough time reaching Delhi airport on Tuesday due to waterlogging on the airport's access roads after heavy rainfall.
The road outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport's domestic arrival terminal was completely flooded, which slowed down vehicles and created traffic snarls. Airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) had to use pumps to drain out the water, an exercise that took out a few hours. Water had also seeped inside the low-lying arrival terminal.
The newly constructed Terminal 3 also faced problems after two drains outside the building started overflowing.
In a meeting on Tuesday attended by various civic agencies, the MCD reiterated that no construction activity should damage the drainage system. "Whenever there is a heavy downpour, water takes time to clear out. In many cases, we get blamed for shortcomings of other agencies," said Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney said.
The civic body has blamed, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, BRT and the Public Works Department for damaging the existing drainage system of areas that reported major waterlogging.
"Before monsoons, MCD had installed silt chambers along drains to sieve the silt out at an early stage. While one round of de-silting was completed in February the second got over on June 30. Priority is now being given to the areas where the Games stadiums are located,” Sawhney said.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A flood of ‘apathy' and more (Hindu 10 July 2010)
Providing relief and pumping out water from Haryana areas
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inspecting the site of the SYL Canal breach on Friday that inundated surrounding villages before the Army restored vehicular traffic by installing a makeshift bridge at Naggal near Ambala on Friday.
AMBALA: Even as the Haryana Government on Friday claimed that rescue and relief operations were under way on a war footing in the flood-affected districts of Ambala, Kaithal and Kurukshetra and the situation was improving, the reality on the ground seemed somewhat different.
A whirlwind tour of the affected areas in Ambala district including Ambala City, Cantonment and the rural belt of Naggal revealed that tracts of land were still inundated with water while the victims complained of “apathy” on the part of the district administration, specially the Ambala Deputy Commissioner, in reaching out relief and even more important pumping out water from the affected localities.
Even though Ambala district authorities claimed that 38 tankers of drinking water had been pressed into service in the affected areas, residents complained that they were without water.
People heaved a sigh of relief that the road and rail traffic, especially linking Ambala with Delhi, was restored on Friday. They also thanked God after power supply was restored in the evening.
Even the Ambala-Hisar highway which was “broken” due to a breach near Naggal was repaired overnight by the Army and made functional for traffic. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accompanied by PWD Minister Randeep Surjewala and Ambala City MLA Venod Sharma made an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in the three districts. Talking to the media later he asserted that his regime would take all necessary steps to check floods in future. Responding to complaints of residents of Ratta Khera Kadma in Guhla sub-division of Kaithal about power blackout and non-supply of water for the last few days, he assured them that these problems were being solved and they would get drinking water, fodder for the cattle, food and medical help.
He said he had ordered a special girdawari to assess the loss caused by floods.
Claiming that the flood situation had improved considerably, he said the breach in the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal near Kurukshetra had been plugged. The water was receding in Kurukshetra, he added. Later, talking to flood victims at Jagdishpura, he said the State had suffered a heavy loss and the real picture would emerge after the survey which would be conducted to assess the damage.
Mr. Hooda said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had telephoned him today and expressed concern over the flood situation. He said the Centre had already assured all help to effectively deal with the situation.
Meanwhile, PWD (Buildings and Roads) Engineer-in-Chief Mahesh Kumar said the flood-hit roads would be repaired within 15 days after the water recedes.
A spokesman of the Kurukshetra administration claimed that in Shahabad the water had been drained out except for a few streets. Meanwhile, Haryana Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Irrigation, S.S. Dhillon said the estimated loss of Rs.650 crore due to floods included damage to crops (Rs.400 crore), damage to network of roads (Rs.205 crore) and network of canals (Rs. 50 crore).
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inspecting the site of the SYL Canal breach on Friday that inundated surrounding villages before the Army restored vehicular traffic by installing a makeshift bridge at Naggal near Ambala on Friday.
AMBALA: Even as the Haryana Government on Friday claimed that rescue and relief operations were under way on a war footing in the flood-affected districts of Ambala, Kaithal and Kurukshetra and the situation was improving, the reality on the ground seemed somewhat different.
A whirlwind tour of the affected areas in Ambala district including Ambala City, Cantonment and the rural belt of Naggal revealed that tracts of land were still inundated with water while the victims complained of “apathy” on the part of the district administration, specially the Ambala Deputy Commissioner, in reaching out relief and even more important pumping out water from the affected localities.
Even though Ambala district authorities claimed that 38 tankers of drinking water had been pressed into service in the affected areas, residents complained that they were without water.
People heaved a sigh of relief that the road and rail traffic, especially linking Ambala with Delhi, was restored on Friday. They also thanked God after power supply was restored in the evening.
Even the Ambala-Hisar highway which was “broken” due to a breach near Naggal was repaired overnight by the Army and made functional for traffic. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accompanied by PWD Minister Randeep Surjewala and Ambala City MLA Venod Sharma made an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in the three districts. Talking to the media later he asserted that his regime would take all necessary steps to check floods in future. Responding to complaints of residents of Ratta Khera Kadma in Guhla sub-division of Kaithal about power blackout and non-supply of water for the last few days, he assured them that these problems were being solved and they would get drinking water, fodder for the cattle, food and medical help.
He said he had ordered a special girdawari to assess the loss caused by floods.
Claiming that the flood situation had improved considerably, he said the breach in the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal near Kurukshetra had been plugged. The water was receding in Kurukshetra, he added. Later, talking to flood victims at Jagdishpura, he said the State had suffered a heavy loss and the real picture would emerge after the survey which would be conducted to assess the damage.
Mr. Hooda said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had telephoned him today and expressed concern over the flood situation. He said the Centre had already assured all help to effectively deal with the situation.
Meanwhile, PWD (Buildings and Roads) Engineer-in-Chief Mahesh Kumar said the flood-hit roads would be repaired within 15 days after the water recedes.
A spokesman of the Kurukshetra administration claimed that in Shahabad the water had been drained out except for a few streets. Meanwhile, Haryana Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Irrigation, S.S. Dhillon said the estimated loss of Rs.650 crore due to floods included damage to crops (Rs.400 crore), damage to network of roads (Rs.205 crore) and network of canals (Rs. 50 crore).
Punjab releases 28 crore for flood relief (Hindu 10 July 2010)
CHANDIGARH: With over 30 breaches in the Ghaggar inundating six districts of Punjab and claiming 15 lives, the State Government on Friday released Rs.28 crore to provide immediate relief to flood victims.
Chief Secretary S. C. Aggarwal reviewed the flood situation in the State and asked the Irrigation and Revenue Departments to work in tandem to extend all possible help to flood victims on priority and also directed the district administration to keep a close tab on the situation, an official spokesman said here.
Six districts of SAS Nagar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Sangrur have been badly affected by incessant rain during the past four days in different parts of the State.The spokesman said 30 breaches in the Ghaggar were caused by heavy floods which caused damage to property, human life, livestock and crops. Till date 15 casualties have been reported out of which one at Amritsar was due to a storm, he added.
Breaches in embankments of canals, rivers and seasonal rivulets have caused heavy floods. The Chief Secretary said the National Disaster Response Force has deployed 127 personnel in Patiala district and 40 in Sangrur district to manage the situation.
Chief Secretary S. C. Aggarwal reviewed the flood situation in the State and asked the Irrigation and Revenue Departments to work in tandem to extend all possible help to flood victims on priority and also directed the district administration to keep a close tab on the situation, an official spokesman said here.
Six districts of SAS Nagar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Sangrur have been badly affected by incessant rain during the past four days in different parts of the State.The spokesman said 30 breaches in the Ghaggar were caused by heavy floods which caused damage to property, human life, livestock and crops. Till date 15 casualties have been reported out of which one at Amritsar was due to a storm, he added.
Breaches in embankments of canals, rivers and seasonal rivulets have caused heavy floods. The Chief Secretary said the National Disaster Response Force has deployed 127 personnel in Patiala district and 40 in Sangrur district to manage the situation.
Rain, water-logging continue to nag (Hindu 09 July 2010)
Delhiites woes with the rain and water-logging continued for yet another day on Thursday.
According to the Meteorological Department, a total of 0.7 mm of rainfall was received during the day.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi central control room received 105 complaints of water-logging. The worst affected were South Zone and West Zone which received 56 and 13 complaints respectively. In addition, 14 complaints of falling of trees and two complaints of falling of portions of building were also received from various parts of the city. The maximum number of tree falling complaints were received from South Zone.
The areas affected due to water-logging included Moolchand flyover, ITO, Vikas Marg, Gautam Nagar and Mehrauli, Adhchini among othe
According to the Meteorological Department, a total of 0.7 mm of rainfall was received during the day.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi central control room received 105 complaints of water-logging. The worst affected were South Zone and West Zone which received 56 and 13 complaints respectively. In addition, 14 complaints of falling of trees and two complaints of falling of portions of building were also received from various parts of the city. The maximum number of tree falling complaints were received from South Zone.
The areas affected due to water-logging included Moolchand flyover, ITO, Vikas Marg, Gautam Nagar and Mehrauli, Adhchini among othe
After deluge, Punjab, Haryana in blame game ( Indian Express 12 July 2010)
After floods claimed 33 lives in Punjab and Haryana and caused an estimated loss of nearly Rs 1,400 crore, a blame game has started between the two states.
Ironically, the two states have been fighting over water issues in the past,
with Punjab maintaining that it did not have a drop to spare and Haryana remaining determined to have its share of water from its neighbouring state.
The two states are now involved in yet another row, this time not over lack of water, but excess of it.
Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister and head of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, Sukhbir Singh Badal has alleged that the construction of Hansi Bhutana multi-purpose canal in Haryana was causing floods in Punjab. “We have taken photographs (of the canal) and will be giving it to the Central Water Commission,” Badal had said.
Hitting back, the Haryana government said the “propaganda being spread by the Punjab government by accusing Haryana for floods in Punjab territory is palpably false and grossly misleading.”
Principal Adviser to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, R N Prasher, has claimed that the problems faced by his state have their origin in Punjab because the Ghaggar water has been “diverted” to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal in Punjab.
“Since the SYL canal has a limited capacity, release of large volumes of flood waters in the canal has resulted in breaches of its banks in Ambala and Kurukshetra districts of Haryana. These man-made, deliberate and uncalled for illegal actions in Punjab territory have caused immense avoidable misery to the people of Haryana,” Prasher alleged.
In a communique to the Centre, Punjab has demanded that a team of the Central Water Commission be deputed to check the “damage” caused by the Hansi Butana canal, which it claims was stopping the natural flow of water of Ghaggar river.
21 Rajasthan districts still dry (Jaipur)
Nearly two-third of Rajasthan’s 33 districts have received scanty or deficit rains till now. The monsoon arrived late by over a fortnight in the state. Of the 21 almost dry districts, thirteen fall under scanty and eight in the deficit category of rainfall, an official said.
Jalore, Pali, Sirohi, Ajmer, Tonk, Dholpur, Jaipur, Sawaimadhopur, Bundi, Jhalawar, Banswara, and Dungarpur were among the district that received scanty rainfall while Bhilwara, Bharatpur, Karauli, Kota, Baran, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh and Rajsamand were under deficit rainfall districts.
Normal rains up to 19 per cent occurred in five districts, excess upto 60 per cent in three and abnormal rains in four districts.
Govindargh recorded a maximum rainfall of 320 mm followed by Kotkasim 233 mm in Alwar district. Whereas Banswara recorded a minimum of 7.0 mm followed by Pali 27 mm so far. Jaipur received 119.3 mm rainfall as against the average rainfall of 585 mm.
In the past 24 hours, light to moderate rains occurred in Tonk, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawaimadhopur, Alwar, Dausa, and Baran districts. The rainfall varied between 10 mm to 60 mm.
Ironically, the two states have been fighting over water issues in the past,
with Punjab maintaining that it did not have a drop to spare and Haryana remaining determined to have its share of water from its neighbouring state.
The two states are now involved in yet another row, this time not over lack of water, but excess of it.
Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister and head of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, Sukhbir Singh Badal has alleged that the construction of Hansi Bhutana multi-purpose canal in Haryana was causing floods in Punjab. “We have taken photographs (of the canal) and will be giving it to the Central Water Commission,” Badal had said.
Hitting back, the Haryana government said the “propaganda being spread by the Punjab government by accusing Haryana for floods in Punjab territory is palpably false and grossly misleading.”
Principal Adviser to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, R N Prasher, has claimed that the problems faced by his state have their origin in Punjab because the Ghaggar water has been “diverted” to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal in Punjab.
“Since the SYL canal has a limited capacity, release of large volumes of flood waters in the canal has resulted in breaches of its banks in Ambala and Kurukshetra districts of Haryana. These man-made, deliberate and uncalled for illegal actions in Punjab territory have caused immense avoidable misery to the people of Haryana,” Prasher alleged.
In a communique to the Centre, Punjab has demanded that a team of the Central Water Commission be deputed to check the “damage” caused by the Hansi Butana canal, which it claims was stopping the natural flow of water of Ghaggar river.
21 Rajasthan districts still dry (Jaipur)
Nearly two-third of Rajasthan’s 33 districts have received scanty or deficit rains till now. The monsoon arrived late by over a fortnight in the state. Of the 21 almost dry districts, thirteen fall under scanty and eight in the deficit category of rainfall, an official said.
Jalore, Pali, Sirohi, Ajmer, Tonk, Dholpur, Jaipur, Sawaimadhopur, Bundi, Jhalawar, Banswara, and Dungarpur were among the district that received scanty rainfall while Bhilwara, Bharatpur, Karauli, Kota, Baran, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh and Rajsamand were under deficit rainfall districts.
Normal rains up to 19 per cent occurred in five districts, excess upto 60 per cent in three and abnormal rains in four districts.
Govindargh recorded a maximum rainfall of 320 mm followed by Kotkasim 233 mm in Alwar district. Whereas Banswara recorded a minimum of 7.0 mm followed by Pali 27 mm so far. Jaipur received 119.3 mm rainfall as against the average rainfall of 585 mm.
In the past 24 hours, light to moderate rains occurred in Tonk, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawaimadhopur, Alwar, Dausa, and Baran districts. The rainfall varied between 10 mm to 60 mm.
Flood Situation Worsens in Haryana, Punjab: Scores of Villages Inundated (Indian Express 09 July 2010)
Flood situation in Punjab and Haryana has worsened further as many villages were inundated following fresh breaches in Hansi Butana canal in Kaithal and Ghaggar in Sangrur district even though army and other authorities tried to plug the breaches, said media reports.
Officials said that a 15 feet breach occurred in Hansi Butana canal in Haryana and flooded as many as 40 villages badly, reports said.
They further said that two breaches of about 50 to 60 feet were created due to gushing waters in Ghaggar river at Rasoli and Naiwala villages in Sangrur district of Punjab, inundating some other 50 villages, said reports.
With these fresh breaches, problems have been further compounded and army personnel called to plug these breaches at the earlier, reports said.
Official said that a 30 feet breach on road disrupted traffic on the Ambala-Hisar highway and army personnel are trying hard to restore traffic on the road, said reports.
In the meanwhile, PTI quoted a senior railway official as saying that the rail traffic had been restored on Ambala-Chandigarh railway line, reports said.
“Everything is under control…all train services have been restored in the region…few trains are cancelled due to late running of certain other trains,” Ambala’s Railway Commercial Manager GM Singh was quoted as saying.
According to reports, more than 200 villages in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Sangrur, Patiala and Mohali district are flood-affected.
Reports from flood-hit areas of Kurukshetra and Ambala in Haryana and Ludhiana in Punjab said that the water levels had been receding at a snail pace, however, many places still remained submerged under around ten feet of water.
Army, district administration, social organisations and villagers are working hard to plug existing breaches in Satluj Yamuna Link in Kurukshetra district, three in Tangri river in Ambala district and two in Ghaggar in Sangrur district, said reports.
The Met office had predicted rainfall at isolated places in parts of Punjab and Haryana during the next few hours, reports said.
Haryana Pillokhera received 30 mm of rainfall followed 17 mm in Sadaura, 9 mm in Karnal, 4 mm in Jind and 2 mm in Sonepat.
Reports from Sonepat said that the Yamuna is flowing in its full furry and people living close to the banks of the river had been advised to shift to safer places.
Officials said that a 15 feet breach occurred in Hansi Butana canal in Haryana and flooded as many as 40 villages badly, reports said.
They further said that two breaches of about 50 to 60 feet were created due to gushing waters in Ghaggar river at Rasoli and Naiwala villages in Sangrur district of Punjab, inundating some other 50 villages, said reports.
With these fresh breaches, problems have been further compounded and army personnel called to plug these breaches at the earlier, reports said.
Official said that a 30 feet breach on road disrupted traffic on the Ambala-Hisar highway and army personnel are trying hard to restore traffic on the road, said reports.
In the meanwhile, PTI quoted a senior railway official as saying that the rail traffic had been restored on Ambala-Chandigarh railway line, reports said.
“Everything is under control…all train services have been restored in the region…few trains are cancelled due to late running of certain other trains,” Ambala’s Railway Commercial Manager GM Singh was quoted as saying.
According to reports, more than 200 villages in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Sangrur, Patiala and Mohali district are flood-affected.
Reports from flood-hit areas of Kurukshetra and Ambala in Haryana and Ludhiana in Punjab said that the water levels had been receding at a snail pace, however, many places still remained submerged under around ten feet of water.
Army, district administration, social organisations and villagers are working hard to plug existing breaches in Satluj Yamuna Link in Kurukshetra district, three in Tangri river in Ambala district and two in Ghaggar in Sangrur district, said reports.
The Met office had predicted rainfall at isolated places in parts of Punjab and Haryana during the next few hours, reports said.
Haryana Pillokhera received 30 mm of rainfall followed 17 mm in Sadaura, 9 mm in Karnal, 4 mm in Jind and 2 mm in Sonepat.
Reports from Sonepat said that the Yamuna is flowing in its full furry and people living close to the banks of the river had been advised to shift to safer places.
Fresh breaches, high alert in Haryana (Indian Express 09 July 2010)
Several districts in Haryana were on high alert as heavy rain continued and the Yamuna rose further. As the Army struggled to plug the 40-foot breach in the SYL canal at village Jogan Khera near Jyotisar in Kurukshetra district, a fresh breach erupted at Darsi village. Over 40 villages in the district are now under water, the new breach at Darsi having flooded a dozen today.
The breaches on both sides of the Ghaggar in Kaithal district have flooded around eight villages. The Army is in the process of evacuating residents. If the rain does not stop, it is feared that floodwaters could reach urban areas of the district headquarters town by tomorrow.
A breach in the Hansi-Butana link is also posing a serious threat. The water in the Yamuna was measured at 59,315 cusecs at the Hathnikund barrage this morning. Officials said a further rise could flood areas in the Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat districts. The administrations of all three districts are on high alert.
The Army is working with the Kaithal administration in the worst-affected Tatiana, Khushal Majra, Baupur, Hemu Majra, Lalpur, Seo-Majra and Bhatian villages. Deputy Commissioner Amneet P Kumar said, “The flooding is getting really serious. People in danger zone have been asked to evacuate immediately. The Army is helping in the relief operations. Efforts are on to plug the breaches. Over 5,000 people are affected, along with vast tracts of cultivated land and residential areas.”
The floodwaters are 6-8 feet deep in several areas, and around 3-4 feet on an average in all the affected areas. Army motorboats and divers are at work evacuate people. The situation is likely to worsen as more water overflows into the catchment areas of the Ghaggar, Markanda and Tangri.
Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, Pankaj Aggarwal said, “A large number of personnel from the National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMAI) are engaged in plugging the breach in the SYL canal and evacuating victims from affected areas, which are under five feet of water.”
The breaches on both sides of the Ghaggar in Kaithal district have flooded around eight villages. The Army is in the process of evacuating residents. If the rain does not stop, it is feared that floodwaters could reach urban areas of the district headquarters town by tomorrow.
A breach in the Hansi-Butana link is also posing a serious threat. The water in the Yamuna was measured at 59,315 cusecs at the Hathnikund barrage this morning. Officials said a further rise could flood areas in the Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat districts. The administrations of all three districts are on high alert.
The Army is working with the Kaithal administration in the worst-affected Tatiana, Khushal Majra, Baupur, Hemu Majra, Lalpur, Seo-Majra and Bhatian villages. Deputy Commissioner Amneet P Kumar said, “The flooding is getting really serious. People in danger zone have been asked to evacuate immediately. The Army is helping in the relief operations. Efforts are on to plug the breaches. Over 5,000 people are affected, along with vast tracts of cultivated land and residential areas.”
The floodwaters are 6-8 feet deep in several areas, and around 3-4 feet on an average in all the affected areas. Army motorboats and divers are at work evacuate people. The situation is likely to worsen as more water overflows into the catchment areas of the Ghaggar, Markanda and Tangri.
Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, Pankaj Aggarwal said, “A large number of personnel from the National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMAI) are engaged in plugging the breach in the SYL canal and evacuating victims from affected areas, which are under five feet of water.”
Flood alert sounded in 10 western districts of UP (Indian Express 09 July 2010)
MUZAFFARNAGAR: A flood alert has been sounded in ten districts of western Uttar Pradesh with swelling of Yamuna while water level in Ganga was also rising at many places. Deputy secretary of the revenue department Raj Raten said that the flood alert has been issued in Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Meerut, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Hathras and Mathura districts. According to Central Water Commission (CWC), Ganga is rising in Ballia, whereas Ramganga is rising in Moradabad and Bareilly. River Yamuna is also rising in Etawah while river Sharda is rising in Paliakalan in Kheri. Ghagra is also rising in Elgin Bridge (Barabanki) Katarniyaghat in Bahraich and Ayodhya respectively. Rapti was on the rise in Balrampur said CWC.
Flood situation in Haryana worsens (Hindu 09 July 2010)
CHANDIGARH: The flood situation in Haryana worsened on Thursday as Kaithal district authorities called in the Army to assist in rescue and relief operations after seven villages -- Tatiana, Khushal Majra, Baupur, Hemu Majra, Lalpur, Seo-Majra and Bhatian -- got flooded due to a breach on both sides of the Ghaggar river in Tatiana village.
Kaithal Deputy Commissioner Amneet P. Kumar said that the flooding had affected over 5,000 people. The breach had been noticed in the Bhakra Main Line (BML) Ghaggar canal.
In another development, the Hansi-Butana Link Canal suffered a breach due to excessive flow of water in the Ghaggar near Tatiana and Kharal villages.
The third pillar of the canal was damaged due to rapid flow of water in the Ghaggar which was flowing above the danger mark at Guhla, she said, adding that voluntary organisations were helping the district authorities in dealing with the grim situation.
Eatables were being provided to the flood victims with the assistance of NGOs. Teams of doctors had also been sent and the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department had been directed to provide medicines in the villages to protect the livestock against water- borne diseases.
Meanwhile, fresh rain caused three breaches in the Bibipur Jheel in Kurukshetra district which is already inundated with flood waters.
Railway officials said that traffic was disrupted on the Ambala-Delhi section for the third consecutive day as a part of the railway track caved in near Shahbad in Kurukshetra district.
The Kurukshetra district authorities called three more columns of the Army to deal with the situation and to intensify the efforts top to plug in the breach in the SYL Canal near village Jogna Khera. Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Aggarwal said that the overall situation was improving in the district.
An official spokesman said here that Thanesar, Pehowa, Shahabad tehsils and Ismailabad and Babain sub- tehsils were affected by the floods in Kurukshetra district.
He further said that about one lakh acres of agriculture land of about 247 villages in the district had been affected by flood water. Mainly paddy and maize crops had been affected due to standing flood water. The floods had also caused damages in residential areas of 67 villages.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will again visit the flood- affected areas of Kaithal, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts on Friday to review the situation. An official spokesman said that the Chief Minister was continuously monitoring the situation.
The spokesman further confirmed that the flood fury had so far claimed five lives, three in Ambala and two in Kurukshetra. Also, six cattle heads had reportedly perished in Kurukshetra district. More boats have been sent from Chandigarh to the flood-affected areas to evacuate the victims to safer areas.
Mr.Hooda said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had talked to him telephonically and assured assistance of the Centre to effectively deal with the flood situation and further intensify rescue and relief operations in the State.
Meanwhile, the situation in Ambala district, which witnessed flood fury for almost three days, was improving as the water had started receding, claimed Deputy Commissioner S.P.Srow.
An official spokesman said that no fresh breach had taken place but the water level in the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal was still at an alarming level and the situation was being continuously monitored.
Interestingly , local residents of Ambala City and Ambala Cantonment and other areas criticised the Haryana Government for not restoring the power and water supply. A senior citizen said on the point of anonymity that they were virtually “powerless and waterless’’ for the past more than 48 hours.
And in Shahbad, people, agitated over the power and water blackout, blocked the National Highway-One (G.T.Road). This created virtual traffic chaos and the senior officers had a tough time in asking them to disperse as efforts were on to restore the power and water supply.
An official spokesman of the Ambala district said that Nodal Officers had been appointed to ensure food, water and other facilities to the flood- affected people of Ambala City and Ambala Cantt.
Kaithal Deputy Commissioner Amneet P. Kumar said that the flooding had affected over 5,000 people. The breach had been noticed in the Bhakra Main Line (BML) Ghaggar canal.
In another development, the Hansi-Butana Link Canal suffered a breach due to excessive flow of water in the Ghaggar near Tatiana and Kharal villages.
The third pillar of the canal was damaged due to rapid flow of water in the Ghaggar which was flowing above the danger mark at Guhla, she said, adding that voluntary organisations were helping the district authorities in dealing with the grim situation.
Eatables were being provided to the flood victims with the assistance of NGOs. Teams of doctors had also been sent and the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department had been directed to provide medicines in the villages to protect the livestock against water- borne diseases.
Meanwhile, fresh rain caused three breaches in the Bibipur Jheel in Kurukshetra district which is already inundated with flood waters.
Railway officials said that traffic was disrupted on the Ambala-Delhi section for the third consecutive day as a part of the railway track caved in near Shahbad in Kurukshetra district.
The Kurukshetra district authorities called three more columns of the Army to deal with the situation and to intensify the efforts top to plug in the breach in the SYL Canal near village Jogna Khera. Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Aggarwal said that the overall situation was improving in the district.
An official spokesman said here that Thanesar, Pehowa, Shahabad tehsils and Ismailabad and Babain sub- tehsils were affected by the floods in Kurukshetra district.
He further said that about one lakh acres of agriculture land of about 247 villages in the district had been affected by flood water. Mainly paddy and maize crops had been affected due to standing flood water. The floods had also caused damages in residential areas of 67 villages.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will again visit the flood- affected areas of Kaithal, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts on Friday to review the situation. An official spokesman said that the Chief Minister was continuously monitoring the situation.
The spokesman further confirmed that the flood fury had so far claimed five lives, three in Ambala and two in Kurukshetra. Also, six cattle heads had reportedly perished in Kurukshetra district. More boats have been sent from Chandigarh to the flood-affected areas to evacuate the victims to safer areas.
Mr.Hooda said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had talked to him telephonically and assured assistance of the Centre to effectively deal with the flood situation and further intensify rescue and relief operations in the State.
Meanwhile, the situation in Ambala district, which witnessed flood fury for almost three days, was improving as the water had started receding, claimed Deputy Commissioner S.P.Srow.
An official spokesman said that no fresh breach had taken place but the water level in the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal was still at an alarming level and the situation was being continuously monitored.
Interestingly , local residents of Ambala City and Ambala Cantonment and other areas criticised the Haryana Government for not restoring the power and water supply. A senior citizen said on the point of anonymity that they were virtually “powerless and waterless’’ for the past more than 48 hours.
And in Shahbad, people, agitated over the power and water blackout, blocked the National Highway-One (G.T.Road). This created virtual traffic chaos and the senior officers had a tough time in asking them to disperse as efforts were on to restore the power and water supply.
An official spokesman of the Ambala district said that Nodal Officers had been appointed to ensure food, water and other facilities to the flood- affected people of Ambala City and Ambala Cantt.
Rain improves sowing of kharif crops (Hindu 13 July 2010)
The revival of monsoon has resulted in a marked improvement in the sowing of kharif crops, according to the Union Agriculture Ministry.
But for some pulses, particularly moong and maize, the coverage of all crops is almost at par with last year's in the corresponding period.
Paddy has been sown so far in 72.3-lakh hectares as against 68.67-lakh hectares same time last year. Punjab has sown the highest (15.23-lakh hectares) followed by Orissa where the coverage is 10.43-lakh hectares.
At 58.27-lakh hectares, sowing of coarse cereals has exceeded last year's level of 53.28-lakh hectares, but the sowing of maize is still short at 27.96-lakh hectares compared to 30.04-lakh hectares sown the previous year, due to delayed monsoon in Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
The sowing of oilseeds is very encouraging at 58.39-lakh hectares compared to 56.64-lakh hectares last year. The area under sugarcane has also improved to 47.37-lakh hectares as against 41.79-lakh hectares same time last year.
Cotton coverage this year is 17.62 per cent higher at 66.06-lakh hectares as against 48.47-lakh hectares last year. Jute coverage has also increased to 7.59-lakh hectares from the last year's 6.89-lakh hectares.The total storage in 81 important reservoirs, monitored by the Central Water Commission, is 6.883 billion cubic metres higher than last year. Twenty-six reservoirs have storage level of more than 80 per cent, while 26 others have storage of between 51 and 80 per cent
But for some pulses, particularly moong and maize, the coverage of all crops is almost at par with last year's in the corresponding period.
Paddy has been sown so far in 72.3-lakh hectares as against 68.67-lakh hectares same time last year. Punjab has sown the highest (15.23-lakh hectares) followed by Orissa where the coverage is 10.43-lakh hectares.
At 58.27-lakh hectares, sowing of coarse cereals has exceeded last year's level of 53.28-lakh hectares, but the sowing of maize is still short at 27.96-lakh hectares compared to 30.04-lakh hectares sown the previous year, due to delayed monsoon in Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
The sowing of oilseeds is very encouraging at 58.39-lakh hectares compared to 56.64-lakh hectares last year. The area under sugarcane has also improved to 47.37-lakh hectares as against 41.79-lakh hectares same time last year.
Cotton coverage this year is 17.62 per cent higher at 66.06-lakh hectares as against 48.47-lakh hectares last year. Jute coverage has also increased to 7.59-lakh hectares from the last year's 6.89-lakh hectares.The total storage in 81 important reservoirs, monitored by the Central Water Commission, is 6.883 billion cubic metres higher than last year. Twenty-six reservoirs have storage level of more than 80 per cent, while 26 others have storage of between 51 and 80 per cent
MCD pulled up for bad roads (Hindu 13 July 2010)
The Delhi High Court has pulled up the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for “bumpy, potholed” roads which get waterlogged and cave in following a short spell of rain.
“In one short spell of rain Delhi has experienced total chaos at many places. Roads have caved in due to water-logging and most of them have faced huge traffic jams bringing the city to a standstill,” Justice Gambhir said.
He was referring to the water-logging and three-to-four-hour long jams across the Capital last week following a short spell of rain. The worst affected stretch was between Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and Dhaula Kuan bus stand.
Referring to the Commonwealth Games to be held in October, Justice Gambhir said: “With the Commonwealth Games in the offing, with this situation, crossing the roads would be a kettle of fish for this city.”
He further observed that the powers that be cared for the citizens only when the Capital hosts an international event. “Why should the common man expect to have good roads only before an international event?” he asked.
Referring to the good quality of roads around the Embassies in the Chanakyapuri area, Justice Gambhir said: “One area where the roads in all seasons appear to be in perfect motorable condition without any pothole or unevenness is Chanakyapuri.”
“Why cannot all the roads in Delhi be built or maintained at the same standard and in the same fashion standing the test of all seasons?” Justice Gambhir asked.
Reminding the Delhi Government of the “very high rate of roads tax” it charges, Justice Gambhir further said but it did not provide “smooth and worthy roads to its citizens”.
Justice Gambhir made these observations while hearing a petition filed last year urging the Court to pass directions to the government agencies concerned for improvement of the poor condition of the roads.
The Court later asked the civic body to file an affidavit stating the latest condition of the city roads.
“In one short spell of rain Delhi has experienced total chaos at many places. Roads have caved in due to water-logging and most of them have faced huge traffic jams bringing the city to a standstill,” Justice Gambhir said.
He was referring to the water-logging and three-to-four-hour long jams across the Capital last week following a short spell of rain. The worst affected stretch was between Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and Dhaula Kuan bus stand.
Referring to the Commonwealth Games to be held in October, Justice Gambhir said: “With the Commonwealth Games in the offing, with this situation, crossing the roads would be a kettle of fish for this city.”
He further observed that the powers that be cared for the citizens only when the Capital hosts an international event. “Why should the common man expect to have good roads only before an international event?” he asked.
Referring to the good quality of roads around the Embassies in the Chanakyapuri area, Justice Gambhir said: “One area where the roads in all seasons appear to be in perfect motorable condition without any pothole or unevenness is Chanakyapuri.”
“Why cannot all the roads in Delhi be built or maintained at the same standard and in the same fashion standing the test of all seasons?” Justice Gambhir asked.
Reminding the Delhi Government of the “very high rate of roads tax” it charges, Justice Gambhir further said but it did not provide “smooth and worthy roads to its citizens”.
Justice Gambhir made these observations while hearing a petition filed last year urging the Court to pass directions to the government agencies concerned for improvement of the poor condition of the roads.
The Court later asked the civic body to file an affidavit stating the latest condition of the city roads.
Season's heaviest rain claims 11 lives in Capital (Hindu 13 July 2010)
Delhi in a jam: The state of affairs in Connaught Place on Monday evening following heavy rain. - At least 11 people, including two women and three children, were killed in rain-related incidents as a heavy downpour lashed the Capital on Monday evening, causing endless traffic jams and water-logging in many areas.
Four cases of electrocution were reported from various parts of the city in which six persons lost their lives while five others perished in two incidents of wall collapse.
Two persons each died of electrocution in Chandni Chowk and Manasarovar Park while one death each was reported from Mori Gate and Patel Nagar. The victim in Patel Nagar was a 13-year-old boy. Two men were electrocuted when they came into contact with an electric wire which fell off a pole due to the rain in Chandni Chowk at around 8 p.m. The victims were identified as Ram Kishan and Ram Lakhan.
A woman, Shanti Devi, and her children Pankaj (8) and Navin (12) died when a portion of a wall collapsed in Jhilmil Colony amid rain around 8-30 p.m., the police said.
In another incident, an elderly woman and her grandchild died in Vivek Vihar. Two persons were injured in a wall collapse in Jamia Nagar.
After battling hot and muggy weather for days, Delhiites making their way back home from work were caught unawares when the skies suddenly opened up on Monday evening. The heavy rain accompanied by an 82-km-per-hour squall left the roads flooded and thousands stranded in huge traffic jams across the city.
The Capital received 51.4 mm of rainfall, the season's highest so far.
The long traffic jams caused by water-logged roads and uprooted tree brought life to a complete standstill in the city. Massive jams were reported at Ashram, Pragati Maidan, ITO, India Gate, Mandir Marg, Satya Niketan, Wazirpur underpass, Azad Market, Nizamuddin, Jangpura, Bhogal, Vikas Marg, Chanakyapuri, Rajghat, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Nehru Place, Connaught Place, Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Dhaula Kuan and several parts of North-West Delhi. The MCD Control Room received 32 complaints of water-logging and 13 of trees falling from across its 12 zones till 8-30 p.m. The NDMC also received water-logging complaints from several areas including Barakhamba Road and Connaught Place. A harassed commuter, Geetanjali Sharma, said: “I left my office on Parliament Street around 8 p.m. and the commute to my home which usually takes under 10 minutes got stretched to over an hour due to water-logging on the roads. An uprooted tree on the Ranjit Singh flyover added to the bottleneck. I was forced to abandon my car near the flyover and walk the rest of distance to my house wading through water Traffic management was zero. Besides witnessing half a dozen fights between commuters and cops, I also saw one person falling into a manhole near Windsor Place which was heavily water-logged.”
Four cases of electrocution were reported from various parts of the city in which six persons lost their lives while five others perished in two incidents of wall collapse.
Two persons each died of electrocution in Chandni Chowk and Manasarovar Park while one death each was reported from Mori Gate and Patel Nagar. The victim in Patel Nagar was a 13-year-old boy. Two men were electrocuted when they came into contact with an electric wire which fell off a pole due to the rain in Chandni Chowk at around 8 p.m. The victims were identified as Ram Kishan and Ram Lakhan.
A woman, Shanti Devi, and her children Pankaj (8) and Navin (12) died when a portion of a wall collapsed in Jhilmil Colony amid rain around 8-30 p.m., the police said.
In another incident, an elderly woman and her grandchild died in Vivek Vihar. Two persons were injured in a wall collapse in Jamia Nagar.
After battling hot and muggy weather for days, Delhiites making their way back home from work were caught unawares when the skies suddenly opened up on Monday evening. The heavy rain accompanied by an 82-km-per-hour squall left the roads flooded and thousands stranded in huge traffic jams across the city.
The Capital received 51.4 mm of rainfall, the season's highest so far.
The long traffic jams caused by water-logged roads and uprooted tree brought life to a complete standstill in the city. Massive jams were reported at Ashram, Pragati Maidan, ITO, India Gate, Mandir Marg, Satya Niketan, Wazirpur underpass, Azad Market, Nizamuddin, Jangpura, Bhogal, Vikas Marg, Chanakyapuri, Rajghat, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Nehru Place, Connaught Place, Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Dhaula Kuan and several parts of North-West Delhi. The MCD Control Room received 32 complaints of water-logging and 13 of trees falling from across its 12 zones till 8-30 p.m. The NDMC also received water-logging complaints from several areas including Barakhamba Road and Connaught Place. A harassed commuter, Geetanjali Sharma, said: “I left my office on Parliament Street around 8 p.m. and the commute to my home which usually takes under 10 minutes got stretched to over an hour due to water-logging on the roads. An uprooted tree on the Ranjit Singh flyover added to the bottleneck. I was forced to abandon my car near the flyover and walk the rest of distance to my house wading through water Traffic management was zero. Besides witnessing half a dozen fights between commuters and cops, I also saw one person falling into a manhole near Windsor Place which was heavily water-logged.”
Metro snag adds to rain chaos (Indian Express 13 July 2010)
The 51.4 mm of rainfall that lashed the city on Monday evening brought much relief to the citizens from the hot and humid conditions, but as feared, traffic across the city once again went haywire. While road traffic, despite the inevitable water-logging, was much better than last week, a technical snag in a Metro train ended up choking the system for well over an hour.
A Metro train stopped at Jhandewalan Metro Station of the Dwarka Sector 9-Noida City Centre line at around 6.55 pm due to a local technical problem, delaying other trains between Rajiv Chowk and Dwarka. According to Metro officials, the train was stuck at the station for around 15 minutes till some trouble-shooting got it running again. But as a result of the stoppage, other trains behind it were held up causing "bunching" of trains.
Madhavan Nair, who was returning to Dwarka, told Newsline, "The train I was in stopped in the Metro tunnel between Rajiv Chowk and Ramkrishna Ashram Marg for well over 40 minutes. As the doors were shut and the coaches were packed it became suffocating. Despite our request, the driver refused to open the emergency doors and two commuters started feeling extremely sick."
However, Metro officials maintained that in such cases the ventilation system of the coaches is kept on and doors are not opened. If commuters get down on to the tracks it could lead to further delays, they added.
Aditi Mathur, a college student stuck at the Nirman Vihar Metro Station said, "The train stopped a little ahead of the station for around an hour and there were no announcements informing how long the delay last. It was quite a harrowing experience."
Meanwhile, the rains once again highlighted the poor infrastructure in the city as massive traffic snarls followed the water logging on important roads. Uprooted trees also messed up traffic at 13 locations. The traffic police were present at all major spots but had a tough time controlling the traffic.
The situation, however, was better than the chaos last week, when major points like Dhaula Kuan and Sri Aurobindo Marg had to be closed for traffic movement for close to two hours. For instance, traffic flowed smoothly at Dhaula Kuan. "There was no traffic stoppage due to water-logging at the underpass as PWD has now made the water pumps functional and the water is immediately pumped out," a traffic official said. But Wazirpur, Pragati Maidan and Qutub Minar Metro stations once again reported major water-logging and traffic jams.
"There have been several localised problems that affected traffic movement, but the traffic snarls then have a domino effect. Traffic gets affected everywhere due to water-logging, vehicles breaking down and uprooted trees. It was definitely a difficult day," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg.
Most of traffic signals too stopped working due to water seepage. Several others had to be closed down to prevent a traffic pile up. "We had to close down several signals to go with the traffic flow. Traffic cannot be directed as per automatic signals in such circumstances. But our men were present at all junctions to direct traffic," Garg said.
After over an hour of rain, the MCD had received 32 complaints of waterlogging from various parts of the city.
STUCK ON ROADS: PROBLEM AREAS ON MONDAYTILAK MARG: There was massive water-logging on both sides of the IP flyover, leading to traffic snarls till India Gate. The Traffic police could not carry on with the contra traffic flow, wherein one lane is used for traffic from ITO to Vikas Marg. "The contra flow was not possible as all traffic merged towards the centre. With so much water-logging, it is also not safe to drive in the left lane," said JCP (Traffic) Satyendra Garg.
GOL DAK KHANA: Water-logging at Gol Dak Khana made it very difficult for the traffic flow on the entire Ashoka Road stretch, the main carriageway for East-West traffic.
AZAD MARKET: The railway underpass at Azad Market had at least four feet water on both sides. Subsequently, the breaking down of a DTC bus made traffic come to a complete standstill.
RING ROAD: Even though the situation was better than last week, when the main Dhaula Kuan stretch was submerged, the traffic flow on the entire Ring Road was very heavy with major problems at ISBT and Rajghat.
A Metro train stopped at Jhandewalan Metro Station of the Dwarka Sector 9-Noida City Centre line at around 6.55 pm due to a local technical problem, delaying other trains between Rajiv Chowk and Dwarka. According to Metro officials, the train was stuck at the station for around 15 minutes till some trouble-shooting got it running again. But as a result of the stoppage, other trains behind it were held up causing "bunching" of trains.
Madhavan Nair, who was returning to Dwarka, told Newsline, "The train I was in stopped in the Metro tunnel between Rajiv Chowk and Ramkrishna Ashram Marg for well over 40 minutes. As the doors were shut and the coaches were packed it became suffocating. Despite our request, the driver refused to open the emergency doors and two commuters started feeling extremely sick."
However, Metro officials maintained that in such cases the ventilation system of the coaches is kept on and doors are not opened. If commuters get down on to the tracks it could lead to further delays, they added.
Aditi Mathur, a college student stuck at the Nirman Vihar Metro Station said, "The train stopped a little ahead of the station for around an hour and there were no announcements informing how long the delay last. It was quite a harrowing experience."
Meanwhile, the rains once again highlighted the poor infrastructure in the city as massive traffic snarls followed the water logging on important roads. Uprooted trees also messed up traffic at 13 locations. The traffic police were present at all major spots but had a tough time controlling the traffic.
The situation, however, was better than the chaos last week, when major points like Dhaula Kuan and Sri Aurobindo Marg had to be closed for traffic movement for close to two hours. For instance, traffic flowed smoothly at Dhaula Kuan. "There was no traffic stoppage due to water-logging at the underpass as PWD has now made the water pumps functional and the water is immediately pumped out," a traffic official said. But Wazirpur, Pragati Maidan and Qutub Minar Metro stations once again reported major water-logging and traffic jams.
"There have been several localised problems that affected traffic movement, but the traffic snarls then have a domino effect. Traffic gets affected everywhere due to water-logging, vehicles breaking down and uprooted trees. It was definitely a difficult day," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg.
Most of traffic signals too stopped working due to water seepage. Several others had to be closed down to prevent a traffic pile up. "We had to close down several signals to go with the traffic flow. Traffic cannot be directed as per automatic signals in such circumstances. But our men were present at all junctions to direct traffic," Garg said.
After over an hour of rain, the MCD had received 32 complaints of waterlogging from various parts of the city.
STUCK ON ROADS: PROBLEM AREAS ON MONDAYTILAK MARG: There was massive water-logging on both sides of the IP flyover, leading to traffic snarls till India Gate. The Traffic police could not carry on with the contra traffic flow, wherein one lane is used for traffic from ITO to Vikas Marg. "The contra flow was not possible as all traffic merged towards the centre. With so much water-logging, it is also not safe to drive in the left lane," said JCP (Traffic) Satyendra Garg.
GOL DAK KHANA: Water-logging at Gol Dak Khana made it very difficult for the traffic flow on the entire Ashoka Road stretch, the main carriageway for East-West traffic.
AZAD MARKET: The railway underpass at Azad Market had at least four feet water on both sides. Subsequently, the breaking down of a DTC bus made traffic come to a complete standstill.
RING ROAD: Even though the situation was better than last week, when the main Dhaula Kuan stretch was submerged, the traffic flow on the entire Ring Road was very heavy with major problems at ISBT and Rajghat.
Floods muddy Yamuna, water supply to be hit in South, West ( Indian Express 13 July 2010)
The water quality in areas fed by the Haiderpur and Nangloi water treatment plants is likely to be affected due to an acute water shortage over the next four days following an increase in the Yamuna’s pollution levels. Delhi Jal Board officials said levels of turbidity, ammonia and nitrate have far exceeded the permissible limits, affecting water treatment in the two plants fed by the Western Yamuna Canal.
Officials said floods in the catchment areas during monsoons leads to soil run-off that increases the levels of mud and suspended solids in water (also known as turbidity). Solid surface pollutants and discharge from various sewage and stormwater drains flow into the river, changing the colour of the water to a dark muddy brown.
DJB’s Member (water supply) R K Garg said: “There isn’t much trouble at the moment. Due to increase in turbidity, production at two WTPs fed by the Western Yamuna Canal has gone down by 10 per cent.” The normal turbidity level maintained in Delhi is 25 ntu (Nephelometric Turbidity Units). But on Monday morning, the turbidity levels increased to 2,000 ntu. By late evening, however, the levels came down to 1,800 ntu.
Increase in turbidity, ammonia, and nitrates affects water treatment at two different levels: quality control and technical processing. To treat the quality of turbid water, large quantities of ferric alumina are added to water.
This, officials say, mixes with the solid content in water to make it heavier to settle down. At the processing level, the filters get choked with the solids present in water, which in turn slows down the process. Presence of ammonia changes the odour of water, and large quantities of chlorine then have to be used for disinfection
“The ammonia and nitrate levels in water may lead to stomach problems. Excessive chlorine treatment also makes the water smell bad and gives it a brownish colour. Hence, the residents are advised to boil water before drinking,” the DJB official said.
A DJB spokesperson said water treatment has been affected considerably at the 40 million gallons a day (MGD) Nangloi water treatment plant and 140 MGD Haiderpur plant. “Therefore, water supply in the following areas will be available at low pressure. The situation may prevail for the next three to four days,” the spokesperson said.
All of West Delhi, all Delhi Cantonment and NDMC areas and some parts of South Delhi are fed by these two plants.
Water supply would be affected in Shalimar Bagh, Pitampura, Lawrence Road, Ashok Vihar, Wazirpur, Saraswati Vihar, Rani Bagh, Peera Garhi, Bhera Enclave, Paschim Vihar, Madipur, Jwala Heri Village, Naraina, Khyala, Rohini, Rithala, Mongolpuri, Sultanpuri, Nangloi, Sunder Vihar, Meera Bagh, Vikaspuri, Major Bhupender Singh Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Subhash Nagar, Vishnu Garden, Janakpuri, RK Puram, Vasant Vihar, Moti Bagh and their adjoining area at the command of Palam Reservoir, Vasant Kunj, Munirka, Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, Mehrauli, IIT, Green Park, Safdarjung Enclave, Najafgarh, Uttam Nagar and Dwarka.
Officials said floods in the catchment areas during monsoons leads to soil run-off that increases the levels of mud and suspended solids in water (also known as turbidity). Solid surface pollutants and discharge from various sewage and stormwater drains flow into the river, changing the colour of the water to a dark muddy brown.
DJB’s Member (water supply) R K Garg said: “There isn’t much trouble at the moment. Due to increase in turbidity, production at two WTPs fed by the Western Yamuna Canal has gone down by 10 per cent.” The normal turbidity level maintained in Delhi is 25 ntu (Nephelometric Turbidity Units). But on Monday morning, the turbidity levels increased to 2,000 ntu. By late evening, however, the levels came down to 1,800 ntu.
Increase in turbidity, ammonia, and nitrates affects water treatment at two different levels: quality control and technical processing. To treat the quality of turbid water, large quantities of ferric alumina are added to water.
This, officials say, mixes with the solid content in water to make it heavier to settle down. At the processing level, the filters get choked with the solids present in water, which in turn slows down the process. Presence of ammonia changes the odour of water, and large quantities of chlorine then have to be used for disinfection
“The ammonia and nitrate levels in water may lead to stomach problems. Excessive chlorine treatment also makes the water smell bad and gives it a brownish colour. Hence, the residents are advised to boil water before drinking,” the DJB official said.
A DJB spokesperson said water treatment has been affected considerably at the 40 million gallons a day (MGD) Nangloi water treatment plant and 140 MGD Haiderpur plant. “Therefore, water supply in the following areas will be available at low pressure. The situation may prevail for the next three to four days,” the spokesperson said.
All of West Delhi, all Delhi Cantonment and NDMC areas and some parts of South Delhi are fed by these two plants.
Water supply would be affected in Shalimar Bagh, Pitampura, Lawrence Road, Ashok Vihar, Wazirpur, Saraswati Vihar, Rani Bagh, Peera Garhi, Bhera Enclave, Paschim Vihar, Madipur, Jwala Heri Village, Naraina, Khyala, Rohini, Rithala, Mongolpuri, Sultanpuri, Nangloi, Sunder Vihar, Meera Bagh, Vikaspuri, Major Bhupender Singh Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Subhash Nagar, Vishnu Garden, Janakpuri, RK Puram, Vasant Vihar, Moti Bagh and their adjoining area at the command of Palam Reservoir, Vasant Kunj, Munirka, Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, Mehrauli, IIT, Green Park, Safdarjung Enclave, Najafgarh, Uttam Nagar and Dwarka.
Floods muddy Yamuna, water supply to be hit in South, West ( Indian Express 13 July 2010)
The water quality in areas fed by the Haiderpur and Nangloi water treatment plants is likely to be affected due to an acute water shortage over the next four days following an increase in the Yamuna’s pollution levels. Delhi Jal Board officials said levels of turbidity, ammonia and nitrate have far exceeded the permissible limits, affecting water treatment in the two plants fed by the Western Yamuna Canal.
Officials said floods in the catchment areas during monsoons leads to soil run-off that increases the levels of mud and suspended solids in water (also known as turbidity). Solid surface pollutants and discharge from various sewage and stormwater drains flow into the river, changing the colour of the water to a dark muddy brown.
DJB’s Member (water supply) R K Garg said: “There isn’t much trouble at the moment. Due to increase in turbidity, production at two WTPs fed by the Western Yamuna Canal has gone down by 10 per cent.” The normal turbidity level maintained in Delhi is 25 ntu (Nephelometric Turbidity Units). But on Monday morning, the turbidity levels increased to 2,000 ntu. By late evening, however, the levels came down to 1,800 ntu.
Increase in turbidity, ammonia, and nitrates affects water treatment at two different levels: quality control and technical processing. To treat the quality of turbid water, large quantities of ferric alumina are added to water.
This, officials say, mixes with the solid content in water to make it heavier to settle down. At the processing level, the filters get choked with the solids present in water, which in turn slows down the process. Presence of ammonia changes the odour of water, and large quantities of chlorine then have to be used for disinfection
“The ammonia and nitrate levels in water may lead to stomach problems. Excessive chlorine treatment also makes the water smell bad and gives it a brownish colour. Hence, the residents are advised to boil water before drinking,” the DJB official said.
A DJB spokesperson said water treatment has been affected considerably at the 40 million gallons a day (MGD) Nangloi water treatment plant and 140 MGD Haiderpur plant. “Therefore, water supply in the following areas will be available at low pressure. The situation may prevail for the next three to four days,” the spokesperson said.
All of West Delhi, all Delhi Cantonment and NDMC areas and some parts of South Delhi are fed by these two plants.
Water supply would be affected in Shalimar Bagh, Pitampura, Lawrence Road, Ashok Vihar, Wazirpur, Saraswati Vihar, Rani Bagh, Peera Garhi, Bhera Enclave, Paschim Vihar, Madipur, Jwala Heri Village, Naraina, Khyala, Rohini, Rithala, Mongolpuri, Sultanpuri, Nangloi, Sunder Vihar, Meera Bagh, Vikaspuri, Major Bhupender Singh Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Subhash Nagar, Vishnu Garden, Janakpuri, RK Puram, Vasant Vihar, Moti Bagh and their adjoining area at the command of Palam Reservoir, Vasant Kunj, Munirka, Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, Mehrauli, IIT, Green Park, Safdarjung Enclave, Najafgarh, Uttam Nagar and Dwarka.
Officials said floods in the catchment areas during monsoons leads to soil run-off that increases the levels of mud and suspended solids in water (also known as turbidity). Solid surface pollutants and discharge from various sewage and stormwater drains flow into the river, changing the colour of the water to a dark muddy brown.
DJB’s Member (water supply) R K Garg said: “There isn’t much trouble at the moment. Due to increase in turbidity, production at two WTPs fed by the Western Yamuna Canal has gone down by 10 per cent.” The normal turbidity level maintained in Delhi is 25 ntu (Nephelometric Turbidity Units). But on Monday morning, the turbidity levels increased to 2,000 ntu. By late evening, however, the levels came down to 1,800 ntu.
Increase in turbidity, ammonia, and nitrates affects water treatment at two different levels: quality control and technical processing. To treat the quality of turbid water, large quantities of ferric alumina are added to water.
This, officials say, mixes with the solid content in water to make it heavier to settle down. At the processing level, the filters get choked with the solids present in water, which in turn slows down the process. Presence of ammonia changes the odour of water, and large quantities of chlorine then have to be used for disinfection
“The ammonia and nitrate levels in water may lead to stomach problems. Excessive chlorine treatment also makes the water smell bad and gives it a brownish colour. Hence, the residents are advised to boil water before drinking,” the DJB official said.
A DJB spokesperson said water treatment has been affected considerably at the 40 million gallons a day (MGD) Nangloi water treatment plant and 140 MGD Haiderpur plant. “Therefore, water supply in the following areas will be available at low pressure. The situation may prevail for the next three to four days,” the spokesperson said.
All of West Delhi, all Delhi Cantonment and NDMC areas and some parts of South Delhi are fed by these two plants.
Water supply would be affected in Shalimar Bagh, Pitampura, Lawrence Road, Ashok Vihar, Wazirpur, Saraswati Vihar, Rani Bagh, Peera Garhi, Bhera Enclave, Paschim Vihar, Madipur, Jwala Heri Village, Naraina, Khyala, Rohini, Rithala, Mongolpuri, Sultanpuri, Nangloi, Sunder Vihar, Meera Bagh, Vikaspuri, Major Bhupender Singh Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Subhash Nagar, Vishnu Garden, Janakpuri, RK Puram, Vasant Vihar, Moti Bagh and their adjoining area at the command of Palam Reservoir, Vasant Kunj, Munirka, Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, Mehrauli, IIT, Green Park, Safdarjung Enclave, Najafgarh, Uttam Nagar and Dwarka.
Haryana demands action (Hindu 13 July 2010)
Haryana's Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh Yadav on Monday demanded that the Punjab Government initiate action against those who caused breaches in the Ghaggar river and diverted water into the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Punjab has claimed that the breaches in the SYL canal falling in Patiala district are being plugged.
The official death toll due to floods in Haryana has been put at 21, with 11 deaths reported from Ambala and 10 from Kurukshetra.
Ambala Deputy Commissioner S. P. Sarao said he had spoken to his Patiala counterpart Deepinder Singh and they will jointly visit the affected areas in both States.
Mr. Yadav told the media here that as per preliminary enquiries some “mischievous elements” caused the breaches in Punjab which resulted in extensive flooding in Haryana, especially in Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts.
He said the SYL canal has limited capacity and the release of large volume of water from Punjab resulted in the breaches in the Haryana part of the canal also.
Joint patrolling
The Minister said security agencies from both Punjab and Haryana should do joint patrolling of the SYL canal.
Mr. Yadav also refuted Punjab's allegation that the Hansi-Butana Canal had been constructed “illegally” and it was obstructing the natural flow of water to Punjab.
Even though the overall flood situation in the State is improving, the scenario is still “worrisome'' in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kaithal districts, he added. All district Deputy Commissioners have been directed to take precautionary measures.
He further disclosed that 20 villages are affected in Sirsa district and the authorities are keeping a close watch on the level of the Ghaggar.
Canal cleaning
Mr. Yadav further said that the Haryana Government has decided to make budgetary provisions for maintenance of the SYL Canal portion falling in Haryana territory. He also urged the Punjab Government to check the excess flow of water into Haryana; otherwise the matter would be taken up with the Centre.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati directed Agriculture Department officials to disseminate information concerning alternative crops that could be sown in flood-affected areas.
Reviewing the flood situation in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts, she directed the Irrigation Department officials to take immediate measures to prevent further breaching of canals. She also directed the Power Department to take up preventive measures to protect all sub-stations and major installations.
Hooda to visit affected areas
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said in Rohtak that relief and rescue operations are being carried out in the affected areas. He will be visiting the flood-affected areas of Sirsa and Tohana in Fatehabad on Tuesday.
He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had assured all financial assistance to Haryana.
The official death toll due to floods in Haryana has been put at 21, with 11 deaths reported from Ambala and 10 from Kurukshetra.
Ambala Deputy Commissioner S. P. Sarao said he had spoken to his Patiala counterpart Deepinder Singh and they will jointly visit the affected areas in both States.
Mr. Yadav told the media here that as per preliminary enquiries some “mischievous elements” caused the breaches in Punjab which resulted in extensive flooding in Haryana, especially in Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts.
He said the SYL canal has limited capacity and the release of large volume of water from Punjab resulted in the breaches in the Haryana part of the canal also.
Joint patrolling
The Minister said security agencies from both Punjab and Haryana should do joint patrolling of the SYL canal.
Mr. Yadav also refuted Punjab's allegation that the Hansi-Butana Canal had been constructed “illegally” and it was obstructing the natural flow of water to Punjab.
Even though the overall flood situation in the State is improving, the scenario is still “worrisome'' in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kaithal districts, he added. All district Deputy Commissioners have been directed to take precautionary measures.
He further disclosed that 20 villages are affected in Sirsa district and the authorities are keeping a close watch on the level of the Ghaggar.
Canal cleaning
Mr. Yadav further said that the Haryana Government has decided to make budgetary provisions for maintenance of the SYL Canal portion falling in Haryana territory. He also urged the Punjab Government to check the excess flow of water into Haryana; otherwise the matter would be taken up with the Centre.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati directed Agriculture Department officials to disseminate information concerning alternative crops that could be sown in flood-affected areas.
Reviewing the flood situation in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts, she directed the Irrigation Department officials to take immediate measures to prevent further breaching of canals. She also directed the Power Department to take up preventive measures to protect all sub-stations and major installations.
Hooda to visit affected areas
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said in Rohtak that relief and rescue operations are being carried out in the affected areas. He will be visiting the flood-affected areas of Sirsa and Tohana in Fatehabad on Tuesday.
He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had assured all financial assistance to Haryana.
Haryana demands action (Hindu 13 July 2010)
Haryana's Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh Yadav on Monday demanded that the Punjab Government initiate action against those who caused breaches in the Ghaggar river and diverted water into the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. Punjab has claimed that the breaches in the SYL canal falling in Patiala district are being plugged.
The official death toll due to floods in Haryana has been put at 21, with 11 deaths reported from Ambala and 10 from Kurukshetra.
Ambala Deputy Commissioner S. P. Sarao said he had spoken to his Patiala counterpart Deepinder Singh and they will jointly visit the affected areas in both States.
Mr. Yadav told the media here that as per preliminary enquiries some “mischievous elements” caused the breaches in Punjab which resulted in extensive flooding in Haryana, especially in Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts.
He said the SYL canal has limited capacity and the release of large volume of water from Punjab resulted in the breaches in the Haryana part of the canal also.
Joint patrolling
The Minister said security agencies from both Punjab and Haryana should do joint patrolling of the SYL canal.
Mr. Yadav also refuted Punjab's allegation that the Hansi-Butana Canal had been constructed “illegally” and it was obstructing the natural flow of water to Punjab.
Even though the overall flood situation in the State is improving, the scenario is still “worrisome'' in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kaithal districts, he added. All district Deputy Commissioners have been directed to take precautionary measures.
He further disclosed that 20 villages are affected in Sirsa district and the authorities are keeping a close watch on the level of the Ghaggar.
Canal cleaning
Mr. Yadav further said that the Haryana Government has decided to make budgetary provisions for maintenance of the SYL Canal portion falling in Haryana territory. He also urged the Punjab Government to check the excess flow of water into Haryana; otherwise the matter would be taken up with the Centre.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati directed Agriculture Department officials to disseminate information concerning alternative crops that could be sown in flood-affected areas.
Reviewing the flood situation in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts, she directed the Irrigation Department officials to take immediate measures to prevent further breaching of canals. She also directed the Power Department to take up preventive measures to protect all sub-stations and major installations.
Hooda to visit affected areas
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said in Rohtak that relief and rescue operations are being carried out in the affected areas. He will be visiting the flood-affected areas of Sirsa and Tohana in Fatehabad on Tuesday.
He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had assured all financial assistance to Haryana.
The official death toll due to floods in Haryana has been put at 21, with 11 deaths reported from Ambala and 10 from Kurukshetra.
Ambala Deputy Commissioner S. P. Sarao said he had spoken to his Patiala counterpart Deepinder Singh and they will jointly visit the affected areas in both States.
Mr. Yadav told the media here that as per preliminary enquiries some “mischievous elements” caused the breaches in Punjab which resulted in extensive flooding in Haryana, especially in Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts.
He said the SYL canal has limited capacity and the release of large volume of water from Punjab resulted in the breaches in the Haryana part of the canal also.
Joint patrolling
The Minister said security agencies from both Punjab and Haryana should do joint patrolling of the SYL canal.
Mr. Yadav also refuted Punjab's allegation that the Hansi-Butana Canal had been constructed “illegally” and it was obstructing the natural flow of water to Punjab.
Even though the overall flood situation in the State is improving, the scenario is still “worrisome'' in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kaithal districts, he added. All district Deputy Commissioners have been directed to take precautionary measures.
He further disclosed that 20 villages are affected in Sirsa district and the authorities are keeping a close watch on the level of the Ghaggar.
Canal cleaning
Mr. Yadav further said that the Haryana Government has decided to make budgetary provisions for maintenance of the SYL Canal portion falling in Haryana territory. He also urged the Punjab Government to check the excess flow of water into Haryana; otherwise the matter would be taken up with the Centre.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati directed Agriculture Department officials to disseminate information concerning alternative crops that could be sown in flood-affected areas.
Reviewing the flood situation in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts, she directed the Irrigation Department officials to take immediate measures to prevent further breaching of canals. She also directed the Power Department to take up preventive measures to protect all sub-stations and major installations.
Hooda to visit affected areas
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said in Rohtak that relief and rescue operations are being carried out in the affected areas. He will be visiting the flood-affected areas of Sirsa and Tohana in Fatehabad on Tuesday.
He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had assured all financial assistance to Haryana.
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