Patiala, Aug 19— The Patiala administration on Tuesday issued a flood alert for more than a dozen villages along the Ghaggar river after the seasonal water body touched the danger mark following heavy rainfall upstream.
According to the district administration, the river’s level is expected to continue rising over the next 10–12 hours due to intense rainfall in catchment areas of Chandigarh and Derabassi. Officials noted that the water level in the Chandigarh region rose abruptly to 8 feet on Tuesday evening.
“Based on the current situation, Ghaggar at Sarala is expected to rise further to 14–15 feet in the next 12 hours. An alert advisory is requested to be issued based on Bhankarpur-Chandigarh levels in the towns of Ghanaur and Sanour,” the advisory read.
Villages placed on high alert include Untsar, Nanherhi, Sanjarpur, Lacchru, Kamalpur, Rampur, Saunta, Marhu, Chamaru, Bhasmara, Jalahkheri, Haddana, Pur and Sirkapra in the Sanour, Ghanaur and Rajpura subdivisions.
Residents have been advised to stay away from the river and report any emergency to the district flood control room at 0175-2350550.
Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav appealed to the public not to panic or spread rumours, stressing that the situation was “under control.” “Officials are monitoring the flow from the hills and keeping a close watch on the situation,” a senior Irrigation Department officer added.
The Ghaggar originates in Himachal Pradesh and flows 165 km through Punjab, entering the state at Mubarikpur in Mohali, where it caused some losses on Tuesday. The river has repeatedly triggered flooding in Patiala in the past. In July 2019, large parts of Sanaur subdivision, including Sirkapra, Bolar Kalan, Bossar, Asarpur, Jogipur and Rathian villages, were submerged. Again in 2023, several villages in Sanaur, such as Malakpur, Batti, Batta and Rathiyan, were cut off after an overbridge developed cracks when the Irrigation Department allegedly failed to complete repair work on time.
