Chandigarh: The death toll in the flood-hit areas of Punjab and Haryana rose to 21 on Thursday while the governments of the two states stepped up the relief work in the wake of improving weather, even as the Punjab government extended the schools closure till July 16.
According to reports reaching here, the death toll in the two states had risen to 21 with six more deaths reported due to rain-related incidents in Punjab and Haryana since Wednesday – 11 from Punjab and 10 from Haryana. Also while, 14 districts had been badly affected by the heavy rains in Punjab, 7 districts of Haryana had also been badly hit.
14,000 people relocated, Ropar, Patiala worst hit in Punjab
According to official information, at least 14,000 people had been shifted to safer places in Punjab. Among the affected districts of Punjab, Ropar and Patiala were the worst hit.
Meanwhile, since it was the first time that the water level in the Ghaggar river had crossed the danger mark in Sangrur district thus inundating a vast area, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann rushed to his home district to oversee relief and rescue work there.
However, with the weather improving since Wednesday, the water-flow of Yamuna river at Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar district had receded to about 1.6 lakh cusecs on Thursday from Tuesday morning flow at the rate of about 3.2 lakh cusec.
The water-flow had, nonetheless, inundated massive area of farm lands in Karnal and Panipat districts and impacted the a rapid increase in the Yamuna river level in Delhi following which the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also written to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah against the "water release" from Hathnikund barrage.
Karna, Panipat worst hit in Haryana
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar who surveyed the flood-hit areas said that while 10 people had died in the rain-related incidents in the states, seven districts, namely, Ambala, Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Karna and Panipat were the most hit.
According to official information, five deaths were reported, one person was reported to be missing in the past 24 hours; likewise, while 105 villages were badly hit, 21 houses were completely damaged and over 440 people evacuated and over 16,8,00 hectares of farmlands affected in the past 24 hours.
Punjab schools shut till July 16
Meanwhile, the Punjab government announced to extend holidays in all the government and private schools across the state till July 16 due to the floods. Earlier, the schools were closed till July 13.
