Patiala:- As the water level in Ghaggar is rising, the Patiala district administration has issued an alert in 78 villages on the banks of Ghaggar in Devigarh, Ghanaur, Sanour and Patran. Paddy fields of 65 out of 78 villages have been affected due to the overflowing of the river water and entering the fields.
The administration claims that so far the embankment has not suffered any erosion. On Wednesday, the administration had issued an alert that the embankment could potentially burst at any time and as a precaution, residents of 21 villages located near Ghaggar were advised to shift to safer places or government shelters.
Army and NDRF teams have been kept ready at Sarala Kalan head to deal with any situation. Boats and other life-saving equipment have been collected. MGNREGA workers are filling sandbags and camping near Sarala village, where the dam is likely to collapse due to the flow of water. People are continuously working to strengthen the breach.
Sarala Kalan is a very important place for the state of Haryana in terms of water distribution as a siphon of the Bhakra Canal, which supplies water to Haryana, flows under the Ghaggar river. One of the officials monitoring the situation said that since the flood water brings with it a lot of sand and weeds, any flood can disrupt the water supply as weeds and sand can block the siphon.
 In a revised reading of the water level, the irrigation department said that the water level at Sarala head has reached 17 feet, which is the level of the 65-year-old dilapidated bridge built on the river. The Tangri river, which covers most of Haryana and passes through parts of Patiala, is flowing 2 feet above the danger mark.