15 of 23 Punjab districts under water; Gurdaspur, Amritsar bear the brunt
Official data shows that 35 revenue blocks in Punjab — nearly one-fourth (23%) of the total 152 — and 1,902 villages are submerged, claiming 43 lives and leaving more than 3.84 lakh people displaced
Battling the worst floods in four decades, Punjab now has 15 of its 23 districts under water due to overflowing rivers and canals after weeks of incessant rain.
Official data shows that 35 revenue blocks in the state — nearly one-fourth (23%) of the total 152 — and 1,902 villages are submerged, claiming 43 lives and leaving more than 3.84 lakh people displaced.
The raging floods have resulted in extensive financial losses to farmers, as 4.22 lakh acres (1.71 lakh hectares) of land is inundated across the state, destroying near-mature paddy crops. Experts warn crops submerged in water for more than 48 hours are unlikely to survive, with revenue officials saying the full scale of loss will be assessed after the water recedes.
At the heart of the destruction lie Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts, flanked by the Ravi and Beas rivers that remain in spate from relentless rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Together, the two districts are facing nearly 40% of the state’s total devastation.
In Gurdaspur alone, 329 villages have been hit, while 190 have been affected in Amritsar, forming 27% of the total impacted villages in the state.
More than 2.62 lakh residents here — over two-thirds (68%) of the state’s total 3.84-lakh affected population — are bearing the brunt of the destruction, while crops across 1.65 lakh acres have been submerged.
99,160 acres of farmland has been devastated in Gurdaspur district alone and 65,979 acres in Amritsar district, forming 39% of the state figure.
These are followed by Fazilka district, where 43,950 acres are inundated, Ferozepur (43,539 acres), Kapurthala (36,902 acres), Sangrur (16,210 acres) and Hoshiarpur (14,754 acres).
The fury of the Ravi has also damaged the Kartarpur Corridor, which connects Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in Gurdaspur and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur.
During Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s visit to the area on Thursday, local MLA Gurdeep Singh Randhawa submitted a memorandum, demanding urgent central aid and immediate repair of the corridor.
Toll climbs to 43 as six more people die
Six more deaths due to the deluge were reported from Amritsar, Sangrur, Mohali, Gurdaspur, Fazilka and Ferozepur districts over the past 24 hours, taking the toll so far to 43.
As per the fresh figures in the daily flood bulletin released by the state government, Hoshiarpur district has recorded the highest seven deaths, followed by six in Pathankot, five each in Barnala and Amritsar districts, and four each in Ludhiana and Bathinda districts. Mansa has logged three deaths, and Mohali and Gurdaspur two deaths each. One death each has been reported in Fazilka, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Patiala and Rupnagar districts. Three people continue to remain missing in Pathankot district.
The death toll includes those who died due to electrocution, house collapse incidents and drowning due to flooding.
The office of director, land records, Jalandhar, a nodal agency managing state’s flood control room, is sending a daily report to the state financial revenue commissioner after compiling data about estimated loss to agriculture land and livestock, besides providing data on daily evacuations, deaths and missing persons in the affected areas.
