Punjab sees worst floods since 1988 as 37 dead, over 3.5 lakh impacted

Punjab is witnessing its most severe flooding since 1988. The floods have claimed 37 lives and affected more than 3.5 lakh people all 23 districts of the state have been hit. Officials report that 1,655 villages have been impacted as floodwaters continue to spread due to overflowing rivers like the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets swollen by heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

Continued rainfall within Punjab has worsened the situation. More than 1.48 lakh hectares of standing crops have been destroyed. Farmers have also reported the loss of livestock. Many houses have been damaged or washed away. In some areas, farmland has turned into water bodies as deep as 8 to 10 feet, forcing people to use boats to move around.

The worst-affected districts include Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar. While the administration has set up relief camps, many villagers continue to stay on rooftops or raised platforms near their homes to remain close to their livestock and property.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited flood-hit areas in Ferozepur and said the government has launched a special girdawari (loss assessment survey) and



will compensate affected families.

“Whenever the country faced a crisis, Punjab was there. Today Punjab is in crisis. The country must stand with us,” he said.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is also scheduled to visit flood-affected areas in Punjab on Thursday. According to the party, he will review the ongoing relief efforts and meet with those impacted by the floods.

Earlier, Manish Sisodia visited flood-hit regions in Tarn Taran district, while AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha announced an allocation of Rs 3.25 crore from his Local Area Development Scheme fund to support relief operations.

Public figures including Sonu Sood, Diljit Dosanjh, Gippy Grewal, Karan Aujla, Ammy Virk and Ranjit Bawa have expressed support and are also contributing to relief efforts.

Rescue and relief work is being carried out by government agencies, with support from numerous NGOs and Sikh organisations. All schools, colleges and universities have been closed till September 7.

The water level in the Bhakra dam at 6 am was 1,677.84 feet, against its maximum capacity of 1,680 feet. The inflow in the dam was 86,822 cusecs while the outflow was 65,042 cusecs.