Chandigarh, Aug. 29 – At least 23 people have lost their lives and more than 1,018 villages have been inundated in Punjab as the state battles what officials describe as the worst flooding in decades. Rescue operations have evacuated 16,039 residents so far, though thousands remain stranded across affected districts.
According to state government data, eight deaths were reported from Pathankot, seven in Hoshiarpur, three each in Rupnagar and Barnala, and two in Gurdaspur over the past week. In Barnala, three people died in heavy rainfall earlier this week, while the rest were swept away by swollen rivers or buried as homes collapsed. The overflowing Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers have caused the bulk of destruction.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann convened a high-level meeting to review the situation in the worst-hit districts — Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur and Fazilka. Mann directed officials to scale up assistance and said an “unprecedented discharge of 14.11 lakh cusecs of water in the Ravi” had inflicted the maximum damage. A high-powered committee has been formed to supervise joint operations by the state government, Army, Air Force, BSF and National Disaster Response Force.
Social Security Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said her department was prioritizing vulnerable groups. “We are ensuring the safety of senior citizens, children and women, and coordinating with the Health Department to prevent any outbreak of water-borne diseases,” she noted.
While levels in the Ravi and Beas began receding in Majha and Doaba, authorities braced for flooding in Patiala and Sangrur as heavy inflows entered the Ghaggar. Water at Bhankharpur surged to 70,000 cusecs Friday morning, later receding to bring temporary relief in Mohali and Patiala. By evening, however, rising flows in the Tangri and Markanda rivulets put the Patiala administration back on alert, with water crossing 30,000 cusecs at Sardulgarh.
In Gurdaspur’s Dharamkot, the Ravi continued to flow dangerously high at 4.60 lakh cusecs, inundating 323 villages. Pathankot reported 81 affected villages. Water levels at the Madhopur barrage fell to 39,000 cusecs and Ujh barrage to 7,700 cusecs, offering some respite. In Amritsar, water receded from Ramdas but pushed toward Ajnala, threatening 15 more villages.
Several politicians visited affected areas to express solidarity and mobilize volunteers. AAP leaders Laljit Singh Bhullar, Raghav Chadha, Kuldeep Dhaliwal and Tarunpreet Singh Sond toured flood-hit zones, while BJP’s Sunil Jakhar and Congress leaders Charanjit Singh Channi, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Partap Bajwa and Gurjit Singh Aujla also visited. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal made rounds as well. Farmer unions such as BKU (Ugrahan), Kirti Kisan Union and BKU (Ekta Dakaunda) deployed volunteers for relief distribution.
District administrations in Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala reported receding water, though officials cautioned that it may take days for conditions to normalize. The Beas recorded 1.80 lakh cusecs at Passi (near Tanda) and 2 lakh cusecs at Dhilwan.
Meanwhile, all three major dams — Pong, Ranjit Sagar and Bhakra — began controlled water releases. Officials said Ranjit Sagar and Bhakra remained below danger levels, but the Pong Dam was at 1,391 feet, exceeding its 1,390 feet threshold, forcing the release of 1 lakh cusecs of water.
The floods have also intensified the long-standing dispute over river water sharing with neighboring Haryana. Punjab wrote to Haryana and Rajasthan on Aug. 22, asking them to accept additional water as the state reeled under excess discharge. Haryana did not initially respond, but by Friday a senior Haryana official requested Punjab to “slow the release of water” as rivers in Haryana were also swelling.
