Kapurthala, Aug. 22 -- The flooding in the mand (low-lying) area in Sultanpur Lodhi has revived grim memories of 2019 and 2023 for the villagers, when the swollen Beas caused similar devastation, submerging farmland and destroying standing crops. Nearly 4,500 acres of agricultural land in the worst-affected 14 villages of Sultanpur Lodhi, including Sangra, Mand Mubarakpur, Muhammadabad, Baupur Kadim, Baupur Jadid, Rampur Gura, Mand Bandu Jadid, Bhaini Karim Baksh, and Bhaini Bahadur, have been submerged under water for the past two weeks. Paddy fields have remained submerged under 5-6 feet of water for the past 10 days. With roads also submerged in water, people are relying on boats to ferry essentials, including food, drinking water, and fodder for livestock. With Beas still in spate after incessant rain in catchment areas, there is little hope that floodwater will recede anytime soon. Although the government has ordered special girdawari for the flood-affected areas, the exact losses can only be calculated once the water recedes. On Thursday, 65,000 cusecs of water were released from Pong Dam through turbines and spill gates. The current inflow stood at 57,000 cusecs. Presently, the Beas is carrying 1.10 lakh cusecs of water, putting further strain on the downstream areas. Bakshish Singh, 35, of Rampur Gura, said he and his family had no option but to stay for the sake of their livestock. "It was impossible to shift 10 buffalo out of the marooned area; therefore, we decided to stay back. We have been using boats to get dry fodder for the livestock, while the administration, with the help of social organisation, has been providing rations and drinking water at our doorstep," Bakshish said. He added that his paddy crop, sown in over seven acres of land, has been destroyed. Raman Kaur (40), a resident of Baupur Mand village, said the portion of her house collapsed due to strong currents of the river. Gurbinder Singh, a resident of Sangra village, said: "The administration should have alerted the people before releasing the water from the dam."...