Flood situation remains grim, fresh breaches occur in Punjab and Haryana

The flood situation in Punjab and Haryana remained grim today with more places getting marooned in the two states which were lashed by heavy rains causing fresh breaches in river embankments and canals.

After Jakhal and Tohana towns, flood waters reached Rattia and Fatehabad villages in Haryana as the surge in Rangoi nullah continued while fresh breaches occurred in the canals submerging large areas in Punjab's Patiala district.

Many parts of the two states were lashed by heavy rains, which made the situation worrisome, with the Fatehabad district administration making arrangements on a war footing.

Army jawans were busy in plugging the breaches in the canals and nullahs in Fatehabad district. Congress MP Ashok Tanwar visited the affected areas to oversee the relief operations.

Fatehabad's deputy commissioner OP Sheoran has cancelled the leave of all employees and has asked them to be available for relief work round the clock.

Sirsa was also facing flood problem because a dam on river Ghaggar had breached near village Jhanda Khurd, which falls in Punjab, marooning thousands of acres of land in Haryana.

Twenty six fresh breaches in Sagarpada, Markanda and Ghaggar marooned a large area of Devigarh in Punjab's Patiala district.

Punjab irrigation department stepped up efforts to plug 14 out of 33 breaches in Ghaggar with a plan to plug 16 more breaches in the next 24 hours.

Punjab's deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal ordered a comprehensive survey of loss incurred including on government property like power and other infrastructure besides road network in recent floods in seven districts of the state.

Speaking to reporters at Rohtak, Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that prime minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA chairperson and Congress president, Sonia Gandhi had assured to provide adequate financial assistance for the flood affected farmers and common people of the state.