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.

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