Rain lashed parts of Punjab leading to waterlogging in many districts and also brought the mercury down by a few notches.
Mansa was the worst affected as heavy rainfall started early in the morning and by 9am, most markets were water logged. Shops remained closed for the day and residents faced a lot of inconvenience.
Mansa resident Amritpal Singh said, “Water entered the shops and even in many house. People were worried and we were busy draining out the water. If Mansa is completely paralysed with just 20mm rainfall, I wonder how much more affected the other areas of the state will be.”
Rainfall in different areas (IMD Chandigarh report) Advocate Gurlabh Singh Mahal added that bus stands and all main markets were under knee-deep water. “A wall of district administration complex also got damaged. However, the situation was worse in Sangrur, Sunam, Samana,” he said, adding that low-lying areas in Bathinda and Ludhiana also remained waterlogged.
Bhakar Singh, a Talwandi Sabo-based resident said that water had entered his house and he faced a lot of inconvenience due to chaotic traffic condition on the road.
While a road caved in following heavy rainfall in Amritsar, traffic was haywire on roads in Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Pakhowal, Gill, GNE and Dugri areas.
Activist Kuldeep Singh Khaira said, “Potholes on GNE road have further grown bigger after Saturday’s rainfall. This new government did no repair works before the monsoon. At least patch work should have been done on the already damaged roads. The CM needs to take a round on these roads, only then he will understand how we are living.”
Markets in Barnala also remained closed for most of the day, after receiving 10mm rainfall.
According to the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) report, Sunam witnessed 70 mm rainfall, followed by Patiala (50mm), Amritsar (40mm) and Sangrur (30mm) in the past 24 hours.
For Sunday, IMD has forecast light rainfall at isolated places in West Malwa and a heavy spell in East Malwa. Majha and Doaba regions of Punjab are also expected to receive a downpour on Sunday.
Meanwhile, incessant rain at many places in Punjab may cause damage to Kharif crops, especially paddy and cotton, farm experts said on Saturday. Besides delaying harvesting of crops, the untimely rain will not only affect the yield but also quality of the crop, they said.
“Rain at this stage if it continues for two-three days will affect the kharif crops. It will affect yield and quality of paddy crop which is at the harvesting stage,” said PAU director Gurwinder Singh, adding that rain accompanied by wind can lead to flattening of paddy crop, thus, making it difficult to harvest.
PAU V-C Dr S S Gosal said that rain will lead to excess moisture level in the crop, which may lead to an adverse impact on its quality. “There are also chances of discolouration of the grain,” he added.