Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Punjab is battling its severest floods in 50 years as relentless rainfall across the state and adjoining hill regions of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir has left villages submerged and farmland destroyed.
Government data reveals that 1,400 villages across all 23 districts are facing the impact, displacing or disrupting the lives of nearly 3.55 lakh residents.
Among the worst-affected districts are Gurdaspur, where over 1.45 lakh people have been hit, and Amritsar, reporting close to 1.18 lakh affected. So far, 30 deaths have been confirmed, while rescue operations have helped evacuate 19,597 individuals from low-lying areas.
Relief measures are underway with 174 shelters housing more than 5,100 people. Meanwhile, damage to farmland is extensive, with reports of crop loss on around 1.49 lakh hectares (3.7 lakh acres). Losses to livestock and infrastructure are still being assessed but are expected to be widespread.
Punjab’s Minister for Revenue, Rehabilitation, and Disaster Management, Hardeep Singh Mundian, said that the government is working “on a war footing” to provide relief and restore normalcy. He assured that assessments of long-term damage will begin once waters subside.
