Chandigarh, Sept. 4 — Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu on Thursday visited the flood-affected villages of Daddumajra and Dhanas on the outskirts of Chandigarh, where heavy flooding from the Patiala Ki Rao rivulet has damaged homes, crops, and livestock.
Driving a tractor through submerged fields, Sandhu assessed the destruction caused after the rivulet breached its banks. Villagers told him the flooding occurred because the rivulet had not been desilted for years, leaving its banks weakened and unable to hold the rainwater rushing in from Chandigarh and surrounding areas.
“The local people are in distress. Immediate relief must be provided, but what is also essential is a permanent solution to this recurring problem,” Sandhu told the residents during his visit. He assured farmers and families that both compensation and relief materials would reach them soon.
Senior Deputy Mayor of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation Kuljit Singh Sandhu and social worker Satinder Singh Sidhu accompanied the MP. They informed him that standing paddy and maize crops across several acres had been washed away. Many households were inundated with floodwater, forcing families to leave their homes, while fodder shortages created difficulties for rearing milch animals.
Farmers expressed fear of repeated losses if corrective steps were not taken. “Unless the rivulet is desilted on time and the banks are reinforced, the problem will only get worse in the coming years,” a local farmer noted.
Sandhu said he would work with the Union government and local administration to put in place long-term flood control measures. “We need a long-term plan to control the flow of water during monsoons, and very soon we will start working on a proposal,” he said.
He added that a survey of the affected areas will be carried out shortly to identify needs for embankments, new roads, and bridges to improve connectivity for the villages. “The focus will be on regular de-silting of Patiala Ki Rao, strengthening the banks, and developing infrastructure to ensure this kind of damage does not repeat itself,” Sandhu said.
