Chandigarh, August 29: The Punjab Government, aided by the Army, Air Force, Border Security Force (BSF), disaster response forces, civilians and non-governmental organisations, has stepped up relief and rescue operations in flood-hit districts as rainfall eased and the scale of devastation became clearer.
Operations to evacuate families stranded several kilometres away from the overflowing Ravi and Beas are underway, while the state government has begun assessing the losses. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and all AAP MLAs have pledged to donate one month’s salary to the relief fund.
A preliminary probe is examining the washing away of three floodgates at Madhopur Headworks in Pathankot. Officials said the Ravi’s discharge on Tuesday crossed 14 lakh cusecs — shattering the 1988 record of 11 lakh cusecs — leading to three of the 54 gates being swept away. Massive silt deposition meant only 23 gates could be opened, causing breaches in river embankments. The state has decided to issue a chargesheet against an Executive Engineer of the Canals Division over the lapses.
The crisis has been compounded by the controlled release of water from major dams, as reservoirs reached full capacity. On Thursday alone, 95,000 cusecs were released from Pong Dam, 74,000 cusecs from Ranjit Sagar Dam and 50,000 cusecs from Bhakra Dam.
Nearly 500 villages across Punjab have been severely affected, including 284 in Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Pathankot districts. Two people have died, while one chargeman swept away in Ravi waters at Madhopur Headworks remains missing. Hundreds of livestock have perished, and crops on around 2.90 lakh acres of farmland have been damaged, mainly in border districts as well as Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka. Fields on 26,020 acres remain submerged.
Evacuations and relief camps
Almost 5,300 people have been evacuated so far. In Gurdaspur, around 2,000 residents have been shifted to safety, 710 in Amritsar, 480 in Kapurthala and 2,000 in Ferozepur, where 13 relief camps have been set up. In Tarn Taran, Transport Minister Laljit Bhullar personally oversaw evacuations using motorboats.
Chief Minister Mann, who visited flood-ravaged Amritsar, said, “Our government is duty-bound to bail out people from this crisis. There is no dearth of funds to provide relief material.”
Army and NGOs on ground
Army, Air Force, NDRF and BSF units have been deployed in worst-hit areas, including Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Dera Baba Nanak, Ajnala, Ramdass, Sultanpur Lodhi, Ferozepur and Fazilka. NGOs and religious organisations, including Khalsa Aid and Baba Sukha Singh’s Kar Sewa Sect, are assisting in strengthening embankments and evacuating families stranded in marooned homes.
Community kitchens and langars are being run by social and religious bodies across eight affected districts, while food, medicines and other essentials are being distributed.
Meanwhile, Director (Land Records) Gulpreet Singh Aulakh has been appointed as the nodal officer for the state flood control room to coordinate rescue and relief efforts statewide.
