Punjab minister reviews arrangements to deal with potential floods
He said the government has completed the cleaning of the state's drainage systems and strengthened embankments to tackle any flood-like situation.
Many parts of Punjab have received moderate to heavy rain in recent days.
Goyal said the state government has completed 1,220 projects worth Rs 276 crore to tackle any potential flood situation. These include river revetment work, installation of studs, strengthening operations and desilting of drains.
Additionally, 600 check dams have been constructed and 1,104 more are under construction. Besides, 3,905 soak pits are being created, over 53,400 bamboo saplings have been planted and 226 kilometres of vetiver grass has been cultivated.
Vetiver grass is used for erosion control.
Goyal said that out of the 850 drains, 601 required cleaning this year, which has been completed. So far, 4,766 kilometres of drains have been cleaned.
Goyal said the Water Resources Department has implemented several strategic measures to handle emergencies, including the procurement of 8.76 lakh sandbags.
Of these, 3.24 lakh sandbags have been filled and kept ready. For rapid response during emergencies, locations of sandbags have been uploaded onto the Geographic Information System (GIS), he said.
For the first time, the minister said, the department has purchased 10,300 jumbo bags to enable quick breach filling.
Goyal said water levels in all major dams in the state are within the safe limit and there is no cause for concern.
The Bhakra dam currently stands at 1,618.38 feet, which corresponds to the average requirement of the past 20 years. The dam has a maximum capacity of 1,680 feet and is currently 47 feet below the 2023 flood level, he said.
The Pong dam, which has a maximum capacity of 1,390 feet, stands at 1,346.15 feet — 30.78 feet lower than the 2023 flood level.
The Ranjit Sagar dam, with a maximum capacity of 1,731.55 feet, currently stands at 1,664.72 feet — 5.49 feet below the 20-year average and 54 feet below the 2023 flood year level. PTI SUN DIV DIV
view comments
First Published:
July 29, 2025, 22:30 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Heavy rain causes widespread waterlogging in Kochi
Kochi: Heavy rain that lashed the city on early Tuesday morning caused widespread waterlogging in several areas. The high tide in the early morning accelerated waterlogging, which was reported in Kaloor, Edapally Toll, Poonithura, Vennala and other adjacent areas. The residents had to wade through water to reach their destinations. This is the second time the city has reported waterlogging this monsoon season. Piravom recorded 22cm rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30am on Tuesday. A car fell into a canal that separates Kochi corporation and Maradu municipality in Poonithura after the driver followed directions on a navigation app. "Instead of the left turn, he took the right turn. He may have mistaken a pedestrian pathway parallel to the canal for a waterlogged road. A tragedy was averted as there were no passengers and the driver managed to escape. Later, locals pulled the car up using a crane," said division member Mercy. Meanwhile, to address waterlogging in the city, district disaster management authority provided four large pumps to regional fire officer. Mayor M Anilkumar and district collector N S K Umesh handed over the pumps to regional fire officer J S Sunil Kumar at a function held at Kadavanthra Gandhinagar fire station on Tuesday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Knee Pain Keeping You Up at Night? This Trick Could Help Instantly Learn More Undo The district disaster management authority had purchased four pumps at a cost of Rs 2.17 crore. The decision to purchase the pumps was made on the instructions of district collector, who is also the chairman of district disaster management authority.
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Homes, Hotels, Trees, Cars Swept Away: Before-After Images Show Flashflood Havoc In Uttarkashi
Last Updated: Four people were killed and at least 130, who were initially feared trapped, have been rescued in Dharali, a key stopover to Gangotri and has many hotels, restaurants and homestays Massive flashfloods — most likely triggered by a cloudburst — in the quaint Himalayan village of Dharali in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, swept away homes, hotels, cars, and trees leaving a trail of destruction behind. Four people were killed and at least 130, who were initially feared trapped, have been rescued in the village that is a key stopover on the route to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges, and also houses many hotels, restaurants and homestays. Before-after images of the village show the scale of devastation. Contiguous buildings, including three and four-storey houses, fell like a pack of cards as the surging waters washed over them. The devastating flashflood came in the wake of a cloudburst somewhere in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river. The raging waters flowed down two different sides of the same hill, one towards Dharali and the other towards the village of Sukki, he said. Landslides have blocked 163 roads, including five national highways, seven state highways and two border roads across the state, further impeding rescue and preventing personnel from getting to the far-flung area, about 140 km from the state capital Dehradun and usually a five-hour drive. Uttarakhand principal secretary RK Sudhanshu said 40 to 50 buildings have been damaged. Local residents said a large portion of the Dharali market was washed away. Rajesh Panwar, an eyewitness to the horror of nature's relentless fury, told PTI that about 20 to 25 hotels and homestays may have been washed away. There was widespread panic in the neighbouring villages following the flashflood. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said no stone is being left unturned in providing assistance to the people. 'I express my condolences to the people affected by this tragedy in Dharali, Uttarkashi. Along with this, I pray for the well-being of all the victims. I have spoken to Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami ji and obtained information about the situation. Under the supervision of the state government, relief and rescue teams are engaged in every possible effort," he said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Dhami and ordered the dispatch of seven rescue teams to assist the affected people. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the Centre and the state government are working in tandem, taking all possible measures to save precious lives. Dhami, who was in Andhra Pradesh, cancelled his trip to return to Dehradun. He said he is constantly in touch with senior officials and the situation is being closely monitored. 'The news of heavy losses due to cloudburst in Dharali (Uttarkashi) area is extremely sad and painful. SDRF, NDRF, district administration and other related teams are engaged on war footing in relief and rescue operations," he said in a post on X. (With PTI inputs) tags : cloudburst flashfloods Natural disasters Pushkar Singh Dhami Uttarakhand view comments Location : Uttarkashi, India, India First Published: August 05, 2025, 23:35 IST News india Homes, Hotels, Trees, Cars Swept Away: Before-After Images Show Flashflood Havoc In Uttarkashi Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
5 hours ago
- News18
NDRF deploys cadaver dogs for Uttarkashi ops
Last Updated: New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) The NDRF has decided to deploy its first-ever team of cadaver dogs to help locate those feared dead in the cloudburst incident in Uttarakhand, official sources said on Tuesday. A pair of these dogs will be airlifted from Delhi even as three teams of the force, comprising 35 rescuers in each, have been rushed to the incident site from various locations in the state. Two more National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are awaiting airlift from the Dehradun airport, they said. Disaster swept through the Himalayan village of Dharali on the way to Gangotri on Tuesday with a massive cloudburst leading to flash floods that barrelled through homes, trees, and cars, trapping 60-70 people and leaving at least four dead. Dharali is the primary stopover on the way to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges, and home to many hotels, restaurants, and home stays. A senior officer of the federal contingency force told PTI that cadaver dogs are being deployed in Uttarkashi to find bodies possibly buried beneath debris and slush, to ensure that the families of the victims can get closure. In addition to cadaver dogs, regular dogs who can sniff and detect survivors buried under mud and slush are also being deployed, he said. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which has battalion bases in Uttarakhand's Matli and Mahidanada as part of its deployment to guard the India-China LAC, has also sent about 100 personnel for rescue operations and to assist the state administration. Around 37 villagers, including 11 women and four children, were rescued from the area and evacuated to the ITBP border post named Kopang, a senior officer of the force said. The NDRF has trained about half a dozen cadaver dogs, primarily from the Belgian Malinois and Labrador breeds. For their training, the force procured a special scent from abroad that smells akin to the odour emitted by a dead body. 'For all these years, the NDRF focused on its mandate of saving lives. Utilising the golden hour of finding life during a disaster has been the guiding principle of the rescuers, and hence, finding the dead or mortal remains was not a priority," a senior officer had recently told PTI. However, the force has also been part of operations where NDRF personnel are tasked to retrieve bodies from under the debris, like in the aftermath of a landslide or train, or road accident, he said. Finding bodies or human remains is important to ensure closure to the families and near and dear ones of the victims, the officer had said. PTI NES RHL view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
