Punjab floods: Ghaggar river breaches all-time record, overflows in Sangrur

For the first time, the water level in the Ghaggar river crossed the 754-ft danger mark in Sangrur district of Punjab on Thursday morning, prompting chief minister Bhagwant Mann to head for his home district to oversee relief and rescue operations.

District executive engineer (drainage) Gursharan Virk said that the water had not breached this mark even during the 1993 floods. The danger mark in Ghaggar river is 746.2ft but it is flowing six feet above that and has started overflowing, inundating fields and villages.

“The Ghaggar has recorded such a big volume of water in the district for the first time in history. Even during the 1993 floods, it had not reached the 754-ft mark when the breadth of the river was much narrower,” Virk said.

Besides, the surging waters of the Ghaggar breached two embankments in Moonak. The first breach took place near Banarsi village and the other near the Moonak-Tohana bridge. The water entered houses at Phulad village.

On Wednesday, the river breached embankments at three locations in Makored Sahib, Phulad and Mandvi village near Moonak in the district. The district administration managed to plug the 20-ft breach at Mandvi within hours.

Efforts are on to repair the breach at the other two locations. The breach at Makored Sahib village is around 100-ft wide, while the one at Phulad is 65ft and the third at Mandvi village was 45ft.

The water has inundated fields adjoining these villages.