Rise in Yamuna level: Khattar holds meeting with senior officials

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today held an emergency meeting with senior officials, following a high alert due to the rise in the Yamuna water level.

Khattar conducted an aerial survey of the Hathnikund barrage, located on the Yamuna in Yamunanagar district. With the river flowing close to the danger mark, several villages were flooded, leading to crop losses. In few villages of the district, the flood waters entered some houses and buildings.

The administration had deployed boats at various places for people to commute from one village to other and evacuate people if water level rises further.

Around 1.15 lakh cusecs water was released from the Hathnikund barrage today. The water level will reduce by next morning, officials said. Insisting that the situation was under control, the district administration, however, has said all the necessary arrangements had been made to tackle flood-like situation.

The water level rose in the wake of continuous rains in the catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh.

The chief minister was informed by the officials of Panipat, Sonepat and Palwal district administration officials the situation was under control and being closely monitored.

After holding a meeting with officials here, Khattar said a special revenue survey would be conducted to assess the damage to the crops.

Such affected farmers who have got their crops insured would be given compensation through the 'Fasal Bima Yojana' while those, who had not opted for it, would be paid compensation by the government, Khattar said, as per an official statement here.

Others present at the meeting included state Chief Secretary D S Dhesi; Rajesh Khullar, principal secretary to the chief minister; Keshni Anand Arora, additional chief secretary (revenue and disaster management department); Anurag Rastogi, principal secretary (irrigation and water resources department); and other senior officers.

The Yamunanagar district administration had sounded a high alert yesterday, following the Yamuna water level crossing the five-lakh cusecs mark. It had also issued warning to people not to go near it.

A team of state disaster management force has already been put on alert. A flood control room has already been set up at the district-level for fast response to deal with any flood-like situation.