Gurdaspur officials fear the worst as 69 more villages are flooded in a day and more rain is predicted for Himachal Pradesh.

August 17th, Gurdaspur

The National Disaster Response Force, Army, and BSF have all sent troops to assist with rescue efforts in the Punjabi districts of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, and Rupnagar that have been affected by flooding.

According to officials, large portions of these three districts have been submerged as a result of the Bhakra and Pong dams releasing extra water.

In Punjab, flood waters inundated 114 villages on Thursday as opposed to 45 on Wednesday. The worst, according to officials, might happen in a day as heavy rain is predicted for Himachal Pradesh. Another concern was that, according to officials, the VIP visits were impeding the rescue efforts.

Following the release of water from the dams' reservoirs, the Beas and Sutlej rivers' water levels increased.

Following significant rain in their respective catchment areas, the Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river and the Pong dam on the Beas river, both in Himachal Pradesh, are overflowing.

Even as district administrations pleaded with residents in the flood-affected areas to transfer to safer locations, a number of individuals in low-lying districts and villages on the banks of rivers in Punjab were evacuated to safety.

Although the authorities in Rupnagar issued holidays for schools and anganwadi centres in the affected areas on August 17 and 18, the Gurdaspur district administration declared breaks for government and private schools in flood-stricken villages until further notice.

Several locals were observed making their way to safer locations while wading through flood-affected areas while carrying supplies on their shoulders. Some locals even used their tractor-trolleys to transport the stranded individuals to safety and deliver supplies.

People are being warned to move to safety on a regular basis.