Patiala, Sept. 5 -- The flood situation in Ghanaur and Rajpura blocks of Patiala district turned grim on Thursday after the swollen Ghaggar river breached the embankment of the Bhakra Main Canal (Narwana branch) near Sarala village, where the canal runs parallel to the river. The river and the canal inundated the villages of Untsar, Rampur, Chamaru, Mavi Kalan, Jhand Mangoli and Sarala, prompting the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the army to carry out the evacuation of stranded villagers using boats. Announcements were made in local gurdwaras, urging residents to leave their houses and head to safer places. The water level in the Ghaggar has risen two feet above its danger mark of 16 feet. The Patiala district administration has sounded an alert in 78 villages near the riverbanks in Rajpura, Devigarh, Ghanaur, Sanaur and Patran. Along with a breach in the Bhakra Main Canal, the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, which is not functional, has also breached. The SYL canal carries rainwater, and it has already breached in the Ghanaur area after the inflow of rainwater because embankments were weak at many points. Rajpura sub-divisional magistrate Avikesh Gupta, who is on the ground assessing the situation, said, "We have requested the authorities to reduce the water level in Bhakra Canal. At present, this breach cannot be plugged as water is on both sides of the embankment." He said that water in the Ghaggar is expected to start receding by Thursday evening when the situation should improve. The Ghaggar has breached embankments at several places, he said, adding the focus was on repairing them to protect villages and fields. "Since the situation is grim, we are plugging breaches to avoid the flow of water to villages. The administration is working on a war-footing to prevent flooding," the SDM said. A relief camp has been set up at the local gurdwara, where langar (community kitchen) is being served to affected residents. Rain in the area is hampering the strengthening of embankments of the river. Kushi Mohammed, a resident of Lachru Kalan village in Ghanaur, said, "Water has already entered our houses, and we are stuck. It is not easy to leave everything behind and move to a safe place. All our belongings are here, and we can't abandon them. We are trying our best to save our belongings by moving them to the rooftops of our houses." Patiala deputy commissioner Preeti Yadav said, "If the water level doesn't rise, it will gradually recede." She further added that relief columns from the Army's 1 Armoured Division, along with three teams of NDRF, had been requisitioned and deployed at multiple locations along the Ghaggar river, covering Ghanaur, Dudhan Sadhan, Samana, and Shutrana areas . Highlighting the administration's preparedness, the DC said, "Our teams are working around the clock and monitoring the water levels on an hourly basis. All embankments are being checked every 500m with the help of local residents. In some low-lying villages of Ghanaur, precautionary evacuations have been carried out. Relief centres have been established across the district."...