Punjab floods toll rises to 46; over 2,000 villages, four lakh people affected
New Delhi [India], September 6 (HBTV): Incessant rainfall and swelling rivers have caused devastation in Punjab, submerging several villages and leaving thousands of people struggling for essential supplies. Officials said on Saturday that the death toll in the state has risen to 46.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema termed the floods the worst in five decades and accused the Centre of failing to provide adequate support.
At a press conference at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, Cheema said nearly 2,000 villages and over four lakh people have been affected.
He stated, ‘Agriculture, the backbone of the state's economy, has suffered extensive damage with 1.72 lakh hectares of farmland impacted across 18 districts. Homes, livestock and public infrastructure have also borne the brunt of the disaster, while the Ghaggar river has crossed the danger mark of 750 feet.’
Cheema added that the Punjab government launched coordinated rescue and relief operations despite the scale of the disaster. More than 22,000 people have been evacuated to safety, and around 200 relief camps have been set up, currently sheltering over 7,000 people.
He said 24 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on the ground, supported by 144 boats and a state government helicopter. The Revenue Department has released INR 71 crore for relief efforts.
The entire Punjab Cabinet and all legislators have contributed one month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. AAP MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are also utilising their MP funds to support flood victims, while the Excise and Taxation Department has contributed INR 50 lakh for relief measures.
Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said that 48 more villages, 2,691 people and 2,131 hectares of crops were affected in the last 24 hours.
‘With this, the total number of affected villages has risen to 1,996 across 22 districts, leaving a population of 3,87,013 hit by floodwaters,’ he said.
Providing district-wise details, Mundian said Jalandhar reported 19 newly affected villages, Ludhiana 13, Ferozepur 6, Amritsar 5, Hoshiarpur 4, and Fazilka 1.
He said rescue operations are continuing round the clock, with 925 more people moved to safety in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of rescued persons to 22,854 so far.
‘The highest evacuations have been carried out in Gurdaspur, where 5,581 people have been shifted, followed by Fazilka with 4,202, Ferozepur with 3,888, Amritsar with 3,260, Hoshiarpur with 1,616, Pathankot with 1,139, and Kapurthala with 1,428,’ he said.
According to officials, 139 relief camps are currently operational in Punjab, housing 6,121 people. Since the beginning of the floods, 219 camps have been set up. Fazilka district alone is sheltering 2,588 people in 14 camps, Barnala has accommodated 527 people in 49 camps, Hoshiarpur 921 people in four camps, Rupnagar 250 in five camps, Moga 155 in three camps, and Mansa 89 in two camps.
Mundian also said the floods claimed three more lives in the last 24 hours, with fatalities reported from Amritsar and Rupnagar.
‘This has taken the overall death toll in the state to 46 across 14 districts. In addition, three people are still missing in Pathankot district,’ he said.
The scale of crop loss has also worsened, with 2,131 hectares of farmland damaged in the past 24 hours alone. The cumulative crop damage now stands at 1.74 lakh hectares across 18 districts.
According to officials, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Hoshiarpur are among the worst-hit districts. Gurdaspur reported 40,169 hectares affected, Fazilka 18,649 hectares, Ferozepur 17,257 hectares, Kapurthala 17,574 hectares, Hoshiarpur 8,322 hectares, Sangrur 6,560 hectares, Tarn Taran 12,828 hectares, and SAS Nagar 2,000 hectares.
Expressing gratitude to the armed forces and disaster response teams, Mundian said 23 NDRF teams are engaged in relief operations across Amritsar, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Pathankot and Rupnagar, while two SDRF teams are deployed in Kapurthala.
The Indian Army has deployed 27 columns along with seven Engineer Task Forces in flood-hit areas. Rescue efforts are also being supported by nine helicopters of the Indian Air Force and Army, a state government helicopter and 158 boats. The Border Security Force is assisting in the Ferozepur sector.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that her government would contribute INR 5 crore to the Punjab Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
‘The Delhi government has decided to contribute INR 5 crore to the Punjab Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. In this difficult time, the pain of the brothers and sisters of Punjab is a shared pain of all of us. The people and government of Delhi stand with affection and sympathy with the people struggling with this disaster. We pray to God that the affected families recover from this calamity soon, and happiness, peace and prosperity return to the sacred land of Punjab,’ CM Gupta posted on X.
(ANI)