Over 1,400 Punjab villages affected by floods: Govt data

As part of its commitment to provide succour to beleaguered people, the Punjab state government machinery has plunged headlong to mitigate the situation created by floods in the state. To speed up the relief operations in the state, 26,482 persons have been evacuated and taken to secure locations. A government spokesperson said that 1,438 villages had been affected by the flood as of 8 am on 19 July.
A total of 155 relief camps have been set up across the state where close to 4,234 people have been housed and sheltered. Currently, 19 districts have been affected by floods in the state. These include Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Kapurthala, Patiala, Moga, Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Jalandhar, Sangrur, SBS Nagar, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Mansa, Bathinda and Pathankot. According to a report received by the Revenue Department from various districts, a total of 38 people have lost their lives due to floods in the state and 15 sustained injuries while two others are still missing.
As per the information received from the Animal Husbandry Department, a total of 2,331 animals have been treated so while 7,940 animals have been vaccinated in the state. Rescue teams of the department are working round the clock to provide treatment, supply feed, fodder, and silage to the needy animals. Special flood relief camps are also being organised in affected districts. On the other hand, the teams of the health department are working in the flood-affected areas with full attention. According to the spokesperson, 465 Rapid Response Teams (RRT) have been working in flood-affected areas. The health department has set up 263 medical camps in the affected areas. He further informed that dry food packets are being continuously distributed in the flood-affected areas. Around 22,641 ration packets have been distributed in Rupnagar, 64,000 in Patiala, 4,400 in SAS Nagar, 5,700 in SBS Nagar, and 2,200 in Fatehgarh Sahib.