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.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
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.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)