September 3, 2025.
Punjab’s Rupnagar district administration on Wednesday asked locals living near the Sutlej river to remain on alert as heavy water has been discharged from the Bhakra Dam following heavy rain in its catchment area in Himachal Pradesh.
At 6 am, the water level in the Bhakra dam was 1,677.84 feet against its maximum capacity of 1,680 feet. The water inflow in the dam was 86,822 cusecs while the outflow was 65,042 cusecs.
Officials said in view of the heavy rain in Himachal, the water discharge is being increased from 65,000 cusecs to 75,000 cusecs from the dam and villages in the Nangal area may be impacted.
The Patiala district administration has also issued an alert for the residents of villages near the Ghaggar river in Rajpura sub-division in the wake of heavy rain in the catchment areas of the water body.
The district administration of SAS Nagar asked residents along the banks of the Ghaggar river to remain cautious.
Punjab is facing massive floods, caused by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets following heavy rain in their catchment areas in Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir. Rain in Punjab has also worsened the flood situation in the state.
Entire Punjab has been impacted by nature’s fury, with the deluge claiming 30 lives and impacting over 3.5 lakh people.
Amid ongoing heavy rain in several states, the India Meteorological Department had issued red alert warnings for three hours for several districts across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, northern Punjab, northern Haryana, eastern Rajasthan, southwest Uttar Pradesh, northwest and eastern Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.
According to the IMD, districts under red alert in Jammu and Kashmir included Poonch, Mirpur, Rajouri, Reasi, Jammu, Ramban, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Doda and Kishtwar. In Punjab, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, Moga, Ludhiana, Barnala and Sangrur are under red alert; while in Himachal Pradesh, Mandi, Una, Bilaspur, Sirmaur and Solan are under similar warnings. Haryana’s Yamunanagar, Ambala, Kurukshetra and Panchkula are under the same warning.
Over 5,500 civilians rescued in flood-hit J&K, Punjab. 27 tonnes of essential supplies delivered. Army.
September 3, 2025 6:52 pm.
Chandigarh: Army’s Western Command has been conducting large-scale Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations round the clock for more than two weeks under ‘Operation Rahat’ across the flood-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, an official statement said on Wednesday.
So far, more than 5,500 civilians and 300 personnel of paramilitary forces have been rescued, over 3,000 civilians have received medical aid, and over 27 tonnes of ration and essential supplies have been delivered to affected communities, the statement said. PTI
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Mata Vaishno Devi base camp records highest rainfall in Jammu region, pilgrimage remains suspended.
September 3, 2025 1:25 pm
The pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills remained suspended for the ninth day on Wednesday as the base camp Katra recorded a rainfall of over 200 mm—highest in Jammu region—during the past 24 hours, officials said.
The yatra to the shrine was suspended on August 26, a couple of hours before a major landslide triggered by rains struck the old route near Ardhkuwari and killed 34 pilgrims and injured 20 others.
Though the pilgrimage remains suspended, the shrine itself is open with its priests performing daily prayers and rituals. With the yatra cancelled, some pilgrims who have reached Katra are offering prayers at ‘Darshani Deodi’ (main entrance on the way to the shrine). PTI