The death toll from the devastating floods in Punjab has risen to 46, with crops on 1.75 lakh hectares of farmland destroyed, officials said on Saturday. Nearly 2,000 villages across 23 districts have been affected, making this one of the state’s worst floods in five decades.
Relief and rescue operations are being carried out on a war footing by the NDRF, Army, BSF, Punjab Police, and district administrations. So far, 22,854 people have been evacuated, while around 200 relief camps shelter more than 7,000 displaced citizens.
State finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said relentless rainfall in Punjab and neighboring hill states like Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir has triggered unprecedented devastation. Rivers such as the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, and seasonal rivulets have swollen dangerously, while the Ghaggar river has crossed its danger mark of 750 feet.
Water levels in Punjab’s major dams remain a concern. On Saturday, the Pong dam stood at 1,394.19 feet—still four feet above its limit—though inflows dipped to 47,162 cusecs. At the Bhakra dam, levels slightly reduced to 1,678.14 feet with inflows of 62,481 cusecs.
According to official data (August 1–September 6), the highest flood-related deaths were reported from Hoshiarpur and Amritsar (7 each), followed by Pathankot (6), Barnala (5), Ludhiana and Bathinda (4 each), and others. A 50-year-old man in Ferozepur was the latest casualty after being swept away by strong river currents. Three people are still missing in Pathankot.
The floods have impacted 3.87 lakh citizens, with extensive losses to agriculture, infrastructure, livestock, and homes. Cheema stressed the need for urgent financial aid from the Centre, accusing the BJP-led Union government of ignoring Punjab’s plight despite pending dues of ₹60,000 crore.
Meanwhile, Punjab minister Aman Arora hit out at Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for blaming illegal mining for the crisis, calling BJP leaders’ visits to flood-hit areas mere “photo-ops” without concrete financial support.
Despite the devastation, Cheema said the AAP government has mounted a swift and coordinated response, deploying 24 NDRF teams, 2 SDRF teams, and 144 boats for rescue operations, while pledging continued relief and rehabilitation for affected families.
