Pathankot, Punjab: A tragic incident occurred at the Madhopur Headworks in Pathankot, Punjab, where a worker drowned in the swollen Ravi River while attempting to repair a malfunctioning floodgate.
Body Recovered
The worker, identified as a chargeman employed by the Punjab government’s Water Resources Department, was swept away by the raging floodwaters following the collapse of one of the floodgates at the barrage.
His body was recovered after an extensive search operation, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident took place amidst a severe flood crisis triggered by the failure of multiple floodgates at the Madhopur Headworks, located on the Ravi River in Gurdaspur district near Pathankot.
Heavy Rainfall Conditions across Punjab
Heavy rainfall in Punjab and neighboring states, combined with the release of water from the Ranjit Sagar Dam, led to unprecedented water flow, recorded at over 14 lakh cusecs on Tuesday, surpassing the previous record of 11 lakh cusecs set in 1988.
This overwhelming surge caused three of the 54 floodgates to be washed away, exacerbating flooding in nearby villages and low-lying areas.
According to reports, the worker was part of a team dispatched to address the technical fault at the headworks when the floodgate collapsed.
Authorities under Action
The sudden rush of water from the dam directly into the Ravi River created a flood-like situation, submerging numerous villages and displacing thousands of residents. Rescue operations, involving the Indian Army, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local authorities, were promptly launched.
Army Aviation helicopters evacuated 60 stranded officials, including 22 CRPF personnel and three civilians, from the flood-hit area just minutes before a building collapsed under the pressure of the floodwaters.
A preliminary inquiry into the incident has revealed that massive silt deposition at the base of the floodgates prevented 31 of the 54 gates from being opened, contributing to the disaster.
The Punjab government has initiated a chargesheet against an Executive Engineer in the Canals Division at Pathankot, citing negligence in the maintenance of the headworks. Indian officials have attributed the malfunction to decades of neglect, with minimal upgrades to the aging infrastructure.
Disruptions across Region
The flooding has severely impacted over 500 villages across Punjab, with 284 in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and Pathankot alone. The crisis has claimed at least 23 lives across the state, with two additional deaths reported in Gurdaspur.