CHANDIGARH, September, 3— Authorities in Punjab issued fresh alerts on Wednesday as heavy discharge from the Bhakra Dam threatened low-lying villages along the Sutlej river. The Rupnagar district administration warned residents near the river to stay vigilant after water levels at the dam rose to 1,677.84 feet at 6 a.m., close to its maximum capacity of 1,680 feet.
Officials said water inflow at the dam stood at 86,822 cusecs, while the outflow was 65,042 cusecs. With heavy rainfall continuing in Himachal Pradesh, the discharge is being raised from 65,000 to 75,000 cusecs, potentially affecting villages in the Nangal area.
Meanwhile, the Patiala district administration issued an alert for residents of villages near the Ghaggar river in Rajpura subdivision. The SAS Nagar (Mohali) administration also advised people living along the Ghaggar’s banks to exercise caution.
Punjab has been reeling under severe floods triggered by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, along with seasonal rivulets fed by intense rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. In Punjab alone, the deluge has claimed 30 lives and affected more than 3.5 lakh people.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday also issued red alerts for several districts across northern and central India as heavy downpours continued. In Jammu and Kashmir, warnings were sounded for Poonch, Mirpur, Rajouri, Reasi, Jammu, Ramban, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Doda and Kishtwar.
In Punjab, districts under red alert include Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Rupnagar, Moga, Ludhiana, Barnala and Sangrur. In Himachal Pradesh, the warning covers Mandi, Una, Bilaspur, Sirmaur and Solan. Haryana’s Yamuna Nagar, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula and SAS Nagar were also placed under similar warnings.
The IMD cautioned that the red alerts would remain in effect for three hours in these districts as intense rainfall was expected to persist, raising the risk of flash floods and further river swelling.
