KAPURTHALA, Aug. 18 — Low-lying Mand areas of Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur districts remained submerged for the sixth straight day on Sunday as the Beas river continued to swell due to heavy inflows from Pong Dam, raising fears of large-scale crop destruction and livestock losses.
Officials said the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) discharged 59,000 cusecs of water from Pong Dam Reservoir through spillway gates and powerhouse turbines. The water level in the dam has reached 1,379 feet against a full capacity of 1,390 feet.
Sultanpur Lodhi’s sub-divisional officer (drainage), Khushwinder Singh, said the river carried 1.13 lakh cusecs of water on Sunday, slightly higher than Saturday’s 1.11 lakh cusecs. “We are on high alert due to excessive and intermittent rainfall in the catchment areas of the Beas. The water will only recede once inflow into Pong Dam reduces,” he said.
The dam’s catchment areas — Kangra, Mandi, and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh — have witnessed heavy rainfall and cloudbursts in recent weeks, fueling the crisis.
In Sultanpur Lodhi, Dhilwan and Bholath subdivisions, several villages remain cut off, with a major breach at Bhaini Kadar village inundating more than 4,000 acres of farmland, along with residential areas and schools. Officials estimate that over 4,500 people have been directly affected, many forced to move families and livestock to safer ground.
Villages including Baupur Zadid, Baupur Kadim, Rampur Gaura, Mohmdabad, Mubarakpur, Sangra, Bhaini Karim and Bhaini Bahadur remain severely impacted.
Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal warned that embankments on the Beas are at risk of breaching at three critical points — Karmuwal Pattan, Baupur and Ahli Kalan. “Farmers are working tirelessly, day and night, to prevent these embankments from breaching. For the past week, paddy crops have remained submerged and are now rotting. Fodder for cattle is also decaying, causing foul odour across the region,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal said relief measures were underway. “The administration has been ensuring an adequate supply of dry ration, fodder, and drinking water in all affected areas. We deployed teams of veterinary doctors for livestock care and medical officers to tackle health emergencies,” he stated.
Seeking urgent financial relief for farmers, Seechewal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chauhan, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. “The repayment of loans taken by the affected farmers from banks should be deferred. When the crops have already been destroyed, how can the farmers be expected to pay back their loan instalments?” he asked.
He further demanded special surveys of flood-hit fields to assess the actual extent of damage and compensation for affected farmers.
