PILIBHIT: With a catchment area of nine perennial rivers, Pilibhit may soon be under severe threat of heavy floods, especially from the Sharda river, also known as "Kali Nadi" in Nepal and Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh.
Incessant rainfall over the past three-four days and predictions of its continuation have made the situation grimmer.
According to local farmers, the flood water of Sharda has entered many villages of Puranpur tehsil. As per official figures, the river was flowing at a gauge of 220.2 m on Monday morning, compared to the "danger" level of 221.7 m.
"The district administration has issued an alert in many parts of the trans-Sharda belt of Puranpur tehsil including areas such as Bazar Ghat, Raghavpuri, Kamboj Nagar, and Tatarganj, in addition to Thakia Maharajpur, Nagaria Khurd, and Ramnagra of the Kalinagar tehsil. Locals have been asked to remain cautious and not move towards the riverside under any situation,” said ADM (finance and revenue) RS Gautam.
All necessary arrangements for rescue and relief operations have been completed, authorities said. Administrative and police officials have been constantly monitoring the situation, they added. Officials have been engaged in inspecting all 40 flood relief camps, while as many as 27 boats and motor boats have been kept ready for evacuation.
Executive engineer of flood control, Shailesh Kumar, said that the administration deputed as many as 96 expert divers and swimmers in sensitive parts for assisting in evacuation operations. Flood control material has been kept in reserve to meet any emergency requirements, he added.
Meanwhile, a group of businesses in Puranpur that includes rice millers, jewellers, and other businessmen distributed 400 lunch packets, 250 refreshment packets, and 400 mineral water bottles on Monday to those in ward number 5 in Ahmad Nagar locality in Puranpur. Rainwater had entered houses and paralysed lives there. The help came in response to a video appeal by a local lady, Shabina Bano. She claimed that people in the area had been starving for the past three days, and added that most people were engaged in daily labour work, which they had lost due to the rain.
