Ludhiana: The district administration has placed all govt departments on high alert and ordered strict inter-agency coordination to fortify flood defences ahead of the monsoon. Deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain reviewed preparedness plans from the municipal corporation, drainage department, irrigation department, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), water supply department, and the Army, warning that there would be “zero tolerance” for administrative negligence.To tackle emergency breaches, officials have been directed to stockpile 50,000 filled sandbags, inspect sensitive river stretches, and map out MGNREGA labour, excavators, and trained divers. A central, round-the-clock flood control room has been established at the District Administrative Complex (0161-2433100), operating from June 15 to Sept 30, with parallel units ordered at all sub-divisional and tehsil levels.Special safety protocols are being extended to vulnerable villages situated along the Satluj. Field teams must identify areas prone to waterlogging to pre-arrange tarpaulins, waterproof tents, and relief supplies. For emergency evacuations, SDMs must equip at least one vehicle with a wireless public address system, while power utilities have been authorised to cut electricity in flooded zones to prevent electrocution.Evacuation camps are being outfitted with power generators, inverters, and clean drinking water facilities. Concurrently, the forest department has been told to organise tree-cutting tools, stones, crates, and labour, while emergency sites must hold life jackets, ropes, and torches in elevated locations. Joint multi-agency physical inspections are underway at high-risk spots to ensure quick responses.In urban pockets, the MC is focusing heavily on desilting sewer systems adjoining the Budha Dariya. Crews must keep ambulances, medical teams, suction machinery, and mobile pumping units on standby. Additionally, field staff have been ordered to verify that drinking water pipelines and sewer lines remain completely separate to prevent water contamination during potential inundation.
