Chandigarh, Aug 28
Thousands of people in Punjab spent the night on rooftops after the breaking of embankments of tributaries and overflowing of swollen rivers caused by incessant rain and the release of dam waters, which have also damaged newly planted paddy crops in large areas, officials said on Thursday.
Families who have been trapped on the rooftops of their houses are awaiting rescue and relief material from the administration. They also need fodder for the cattle, rue locals. Most of the worst-affected districts, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Pathankot, are located along the India-Pakistan border.
The other districts marooned by floodwater are Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ropar, Anandpur Sahib and Fazilka, impacting families who have lost homes, farmers lost crops, and people, largely villagers, are suffering greatly.
Even several Border Security Force (BSF) check posts on the international border were either washed away or damaged in the flood.
Flood rescue operations involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army and the district administration have been intensified, an official told on Thursday.