2023 flood memories haunt villagers along Beas in Sultanpur Lodhi

In July 2023, two breaches in the Beas embankment at Sultanpur Lodhi left many villages in the town flooded. Two breaches at Baupur Kadim and Ali Kalan villages inundated several villages in the area, including Ali Khurd, Mand Hussainpur Bulle, Thakkar Kaura and Mand Karmuwala. This year, the onset of monsoon in the northern region and the flooding in the Beas have brought back the memories of 2023 floods for villagers of Sultanpur Lodhi, who live by the banks of the Beas.

Since the recent cloudbursts in Himachal, the villagers begin their day with visual checks on the water levels of the Pong Dam.

Paramjit Singh Baupur, a resident of the island village of Baupur in Sultanpur Lodhi, said, “As many as 16 of our villages are always hit whenever this area is flooded. From houses to cattle to crops, everything is decimated during floods. That is why, over the years, I have been pressing my own motor boats into service to rescue the stranded villagers during the floods. The news of flash floods in Himachal has placed us on the tenterhooks. So far, things are normal in our villages but naturally excess water in the hills, becomes a cause for concern for us. Across village WhatsApp groups, we check the status of the Pong Dam every morning. The administration is known to have held flood preparedness review meetings but the villagers have not been called for these. Nor have our suggestions been sought for flood preparedness."

Another Baupur village resident Sarwan Singh said, “So far, things are normal. We closely watch the situation in Himachal and pray that a flood-like situation doesn’t arise in our villages because last time, floods wreaked heavy destruction in the area."

Khushminder Singh, SDO, Drainage Department, Kapurthala, said, “Until a few days ago, the water level at the Pong Dam was 1,260 feet, which recently rose to 1,320 feet. The maximum water level at the dam is 1,390 feet. Even after that there is a margin of 10 to 15 feet. During the 2023 floods, 2.5 lakh cusecs of water had entered Kapurthala district, causing the floods. This year, since June 15, the water inflow within Kapurthala has fluctuated between merely 20,000 and 25,000 cusecs. So there is no cause for alarm."

The SDO added that the Kapurthala administration, along with the Drainage Department, has been regularly reviewing flood preparedness and holding meetings on the issue and the DC also carried out a field visit to the Beas bandhs.

Jalandhar