With the Sutlej swelling due to incessant rain in its catchment areas and heavy releases from dams, evacuation in several low-lying villages of Fazilka and Ferozepur districts began late Tuesday afternoon.According to officials, heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, coupled with additional releases from the Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams, has worsened the flood situation. Continuous downpour in the hills and plains has further aggravated the crisis.Meanwhile, the Punjab Police, along with the teams of the Indian Army, Border Security Force (BSF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), have scaled up the rescue and evacuation operations in flood-affected districts of Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Fazilka and Ferozepur.“Though we are not evacuating villages fully, we are sending women, children, and elderly persons to safer places as more releases are expected in the coming days,” said Amar Singh, a resident of Mohar Jamsher, the last village of Punjab along the Indo-Pak border in Fazilka district. This landlocked village is surrounded by the Sutlej on three sides and Pakistan on the fourth.Mohar Jamsher, with about 560 voters, has already seen over 200 residents leave by Wednesday evening. However, many households have kept a few members back to protect property and livestock.“Pakistan’s Suleman Chowki gates, located after Fazilka, remain closed. So, the Sutlej water has no outlet to flow down, and thus, flooding low-lying villages here,” said Sukhwinder Bhaini from Retewali Bhaini village in Fazilka.In Teja Ruhela, most families shifted important documents, grain stock and valuables, along with women, children and the elderly, to safer locations.Although the Punjab government has set up five relief camps, most villagers prefer staying with their relatives.“Knee-deep water has entered our locality, but the administration hasn’t provided any help. It feels like we’ve been left to fend for ourselves,” complained Asha Rani from Gulabewala Bhaini in Fazilka.Story continues below this adSham Singh (24), a farmer from Dhani Sadda Singh, added, “My grandfather Jarnail Singh (65) is unwell, so we’ve kept him here, but the situation seems grim this time. We’ve moved our grains and a few valuables to the top floor. A poor man doesn’t have much to lose, so most of us have stayed, though some villagers left with their cattle this afternoon.”In Ferozepur’s Tendiwala, Kaluwala, Dheerakara and Muthianwala villages, partial evacuations were also reported, with families shifting children, valuables and livestock to higher ground.The Fazilka administration had on Tuesday and Wednesday repeatedly issued advisories, urging residents to move to safer areas as water levels were rising.On Tuesday, 1.70 lakh cusecs of water were released from the Hussainiwala Headworks, while on Wednesday, the figure rose to 2.20 lakh cusecs.Story continues below this adSpecial DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla, who has been supervising the situation, said, “SSPs in flood-affected districts have been asked to remain in the field and personally monitor the situation in their respective districts regularly.”Shukla said, “All arrangements are in place and SSPs are personally monitoring the relief work, and people are being shifted to safer places. Recently, some people, who were stuck in floods, were rescued by an Army helicopter in Pathankot.”The Special DGP said the entire Punjab Police force has been kept on alert to deal with any kind of flood-related exigencies.The Border Security Force (BSF) also pressed its personnel into action in boats to evacuate villagers in Gurdaspur, along the Ravi river, to safety. Several Border Observation Posts (BOPs) of the BSF, along the river, have also been inundated.Story continues below this adArmy’s Yol-based 9 Corps and its constituent units in lower Himachal Pradesh and adjoining Pathankot and Jammu have also been actively aiding flood relief measures. People in many villages marooned in flood waters in Pathankot were moved to safer locations by the Army.On Monday night, Additional Deputy Commissioner Damandeep Singh reached Tendiwala village and also advised villagers to vacate the village. Kulwant Singh, a resident of Navi Gatti Rajo ke, said that the residents of these villages are living in fear of floods.“We have started packing up our important belongings and, in case the water level rises a little more, we will have to move along with our families to safer places. Several families have already shifted their belongings to their rooftops”, said Kulwant, adding that he and his family have not slept for the last several days.Swarn Singh, a resident of Kaluwala village, which is surrounded by the Sutlej river on three sides and by Pakistan on the fourth side, said that his entire crop, which had been sown in three acres of land, has been inundated.