Reservoir levels stable, no flood-like situation: Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal
Responding to a calling attention notice moved by Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Pratap Singh regarding preventing flood threats in low-lying areas due to rising water levels in reservoirs, Goyal said that the state govt had implemented comprehensive arrangements to address every potential scenario. Goyal said that water levels in major reservoirs remained within safe limits as of July 10. He said that the current level at Bhakra Dam stood at 1,590.48 feet compared to 1,614.89 feet on July 10, 2023, during the floods that year.
"Similarly, the current level at Pong Dam is 1,325.48 feet, which was 1,350.63 feet on July 10, 2023, during the 2023 floods. The current level at Ranjit Sagar Dam is 505.41 metres compared to 520.2 metres on July 10, 2023, during the 2023 floods," said Goyal, adding that "all three reservoirs are operating safely with ample buffer from danger levels".
Rana Inder Pratap Singh, while speaking during the call attention motion asking the govt to take
corrective steps to avoid floods, said, "It is a matter of urgent public importance that an increase in water levels in the dams due to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh leads to the consequent danger of flooding in Punjab."
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He claimed that despite flagging the issue with deputy commissioners and the minister, "no concrete steps were taken, even at the sites most in need of urgent reinforcement."
Rana Inder Pratap Singh, the son of Congress MLA from Kapurthala Rana Gurjeet Singh and elected as an independent MLA from Sultanpur Lodhi in the 2022 Punjab assembly elections, also claimed that there were "ongoing illegal mining activities within the embankment zones, particularly in areas where temporary structures have been erected by locals".
He further said that the residents of his constituency were willing to voluntarily offer land for the construction of embankments if it helps safeguard their lives and livelihoods from future floods.
Responding to this, minister Goyal, while citing the example of Gidderpindi village, said de-silting was done on govt land but private landowners were not allowing that. "People made verbal promises but don't give their lands when it actually came to constructing embankments," he added.
AAP MLA from Derabassi Kuljit Singh Randhawa said Zirakpur was worst hit when the water level rose during the rains. He said the farmers should be allowed to extract soil from Ghaggar to put the same in their lands.
AAP MLA representing Ghanaur, Gurlal Ghanuar, also spoke on similar lines, pitching the "proper desilting of Ghaggar as the solution to avoid floods." Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh suggested that the govt should go in for sub-soil recharge by setting up "water pumping stations" as was "happening in countries like the US". "Have you made any such proposal," he sought to know.
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