Chandigarh, Aug 27 : Hundreds of villages in Punjab along the swollen Satluj, Beas, and Ravi rivers were flooded on Wednesday, severely affecting life and damaging crops after the floodgates of the Bhakra and Pong dams were opened. The inflow into these reservoirs had alarmingly increased due to torrential rains in their catchment areas, mainly Himachal Pradesh.

Rescue and evacuation of people are currently underway by teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The worst-affected districts are Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar.

Authorities, however, said the inflow in the reservoirs declined significantly compared to Tuesday, with the decline in the rainfall activity.

The flood gates of both dams, which serve the irrigation requirements of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, were opened to lower the reservoir level.

With the opening of the floodgates, a flood-like situation prevailed mainly in Punjab's Ropar, Anandpur Sahib and Hoshiarpur districts and Himachal's Kangra district.

In Punjab, the inundation of villages has been reported second time within a month, severely impacting the standing crops.

Owing to heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh for the past many days, the situation in villages situated along the India-Pakistan border in Pathankot district has become critical. The increased flow of water in the Ujh and the Ravi rivers has submerged the Pathankot-Jammu highway.

The crucial Lakhanpur bridge connecting Punjab to Jammu has also been damaged by the floodwater.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant will visit Pathankot and Gurdaspur later in the day to take stock of the situation in flood-affected areas.

The government has announced that all primary, secondary, and senior secondary schools, both government and private, will be closed across the state till August 30 due to heavy rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for rainfall in five districts -- Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Barnala, Sangrur and Mansa.

Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney visited flood-hit villages in Ajnala and assessed the situation. She appealed to the people not to panic and assured all help.

The government has issued directions to local administration and officials concerned to maintain round-the-clock presence at the ground level to continue rescue and relief operations on a war footing in flood-affected areas.

Simultaneously, all leaves for officers and staff have been cancelled.

Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak visited flood-affected areas on Tuesday in Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts.

The government said the situation in Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts aggravated after continuous rainfall this week in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, which led to a rise in water level in the Ranjit Sagar Dam near the maximum capacity.

The water released from the overflowing dam has significantly elevated water levels in the Ravi River, according to the government. Besides, the Ujh and Jalalia rivers are experiencing unprecedented flow, submerging most villages in the Narot Jaimal Singh and Bamial blocks in Pathankot.

/IANS