Chandigarh, Sept 6 — Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Saturday said that three more people lost their lives in the past 24 hours as floods continued to batter the state, taking the total death toll to 46 across 14 districts. Three others remain missing in Pathankot district.
Mundian said that 48 additional villages and 2,691 residents were affected during the past day, pushing the overall figure to 1,996 villages and nearly 3.87 lakh people impacted statewide. Crop damage has also escalated, with another 2,131 hectares submerged, raising the total affected farmland to over 1.74 lakh hectares in 18 districts.
“The devastation has been widespread, but our evacuation and relief efforts continue with urgency,” the minister told reporters.
He said 925 people were rescued in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of evacuated residents to 22,854. The largest operations have been in Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, and Kapurthala.
At present, 139 relief camps are sheltering 6,121 displaced people, with a total of 219 camps set up since the floods began. Fazilka is housing the largest number with 2,588 residents, followed by Barnala, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, Moga, and Mansa.
Listing agricultural losses, Mundian said the worst-hit districts include Gurdaspur with 40,169 hectares damaged, Fazilka with 18,649, Ferozepur with 17,257, and Kapurthala with 17,574 hectares.
He added that districts such as Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Sangrur, and SAS Nagar have also suffered heavy crop losses.
Expressing gratitude to the armed forces, the minister noted that 23 NDRF teams are deployed across flood-hit districts, alongside two SDRF teams in Kapurthala.
“Twenty-seven Army columns and seven Engineer Task Forces are on the ground, while nine helicopters from the Army and Air Force are engaged in rescue operations. The BSF is also assisting in the Ferozepur sector,” he said.
A total of 158 boats and one state helicopter are part of the ongoing mission.
During his visit to Ludhiana, Mundian distributed essential rations to families in Sasrali village, where floodwaters have displaced scores of households.
