Image Source: Agencies

Several teams of the National Disaster Response Force, army, and BSF were forced into rescue operations in the flooded areas of Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, and Rupnagar districts of Punjab. According to officials, large parts of these three areas were inundated after the release of excess water from the Bhakra and Pong dams.
Floods hit 114 villages in Punjab on Thursday, compared to 45 on Wednesday. Officials fear that the worst could come later in the day as heavy rain is expected in Himachal Pradesh. Another concern was that VIP visits would complicate rescue efforts, officials said. The water levels of the Beas and Sutlej rivers rose after the release of water from the reservoirs.

Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej River and Pong Dam on the Beas River—both in Himachal Pradesh—were inundated by heavy rains in their catchment areas.
Several people in Punjab's low-lying areas and riverside villages were evacuated to safety, even as district administrations urged people in flood-hit areas to move to safer places.
The Gurdaspur district administration has declared holidays on August 17 and 18 for government and private schools in flood-affected villages until further orders, while Rupnagar authorities have declared holidays for schools and Anganwadi centers in the affected areas.
Many villagers carried essentials on their shoulders as they waded through flooded areas to safer places. Some villagers even used their tractor carts to take the helpless people to safety and offer help.