‘Maintain round-the-clock watch in flood-hit areas’

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Jal Shakti minister Mahendra Singh on Sunday directed engineers and district administration officers to maintain round-the-clock watch on embankments and in flood-hit areas.

He issued the instructions while reviewing relief, rescue and flood control works through a videoconferencing with the officers and engineers of flood-prone UP districts. He also directed the officers to install generators and emergency lights near the embankments to maintain a regular watch on the condition of the embankments. The embankments damaged due to erosion should be repaired immediately, he said. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the officers to ensure that there was no loss of life and property due to flood. The officers have been directed to carry out regular patrolling on the embankments in their respective area. Junior engineers have been directed to camp near the embankments. The flood control work should be launched on war footing and strict action will be taken against slack officers, Singh said.The minister said the projects pending due to Covid pandemic should be launched on priority basis.

With a view to checking erosion, dredging of rivers to change their course should be completed on priority, he added.

THE RISE IN THE WATER LEVEL OF THE RIVERS HAS INUNDATED AND MAROONED SEVERAL VILLAGES IN MAHARAJGANJ, SIDDHARTHNAGAR, SHRAVASTI, BALRAMPUR AND BAHRAICH DISTTS.

‘MAJOR RIVER IN TERAI REGION IN SPATE’

Rainfall in the Terai region has led to the increase in the water level of major rivers.

An irrigation department officer said the river Sharda was flowing above the danger level at Paliyakala in Lakhimpur Kheri district.

He added that the river Ghaghra was flowing above danger level at Eligin Bridge (Barabanki), Ayodhya and Turtipar (Ballia) while the Rapti was flowing above the danger level in Balrampur, Kuwano at Chandradeep ghat (Gonda) and the Gandak was flowing above danger mark at Khadda in Kushinagar district.

The rise in the water level of the rivers has inundated and marooned several villages in Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Shravasti, Balrampur and Bahraich districts. The district administrations were directed to launch relief and rescue operation in the flood-hit areas, he said.