Punjab’s darkest floods in 3 decades: As governance failures drown villages, stories of hope surface

At least 30 dead. Over 2.56 lakh people affected. Close to 1,400 villages inundated. Nearly 3 lakh acres of crops submerged. Around Rs 50,000 crore in losses from paddy crops alone. All of Punjab’s 23 districts hit – at least half of them seeing heavy damage.

The staggering scale of Punjab’s floods, the worst such event in the state since 1988, tells only part of the story. Behind the numbers are a cascade of failures: just 17 days of monsoon preparation, delayed dam releases, and neglected drainage systems that turned what should have been manageable rainfall into a catastrophe.

The floods, according to reports quoting officials, were triggered by overflowing Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, along with swollen seasonal rivulets following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Torrential rain in Punjab further worsened the crisis as the state reportedly recorded 253.7 mm of rainfall in August, marking a 74 percent excess over the long-term normal of 146.2 mm.

The state government has deployed its entire machinery alongside National and State Disaster Response Forces, the Army, and Punjab Police to carry out relief and rescue missions in the worst-hit districts, including Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Bathinda.

In what was the first contact of the Centre with Punjab since the flood hit the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi rang Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday evening to take stock of the situation in Punjab, The Tribune reported. The call reportedly came a day after Mann wrote to the PM for the release of the state’s pending dues of Rs 60,000 crore. A Punjab government official told The Tribune that the CM asked the Centre to relax norms under the Disaster Management Act for the payment of relief to farmers.

The full extent of the damage will only be known once the water recedes. 

But experts have drawn parallels between this disaster and the 1988 floods, which claimed 535 lives. Similar causes seem to have triggered both events –  extreme, unseasonal monsoon rainfall in the upstream catchment areas, which overwhelmed local drainage and river systems. In both years, the Beas, Sutlej, and Ravi rivers overflowed due to intense rain and releases from major reservoirs like the Bhakra and Pong dams. Flood-control infrastructure failed or was unable to cope, with dam management and canal breaches playing a major role in worsening the impact. 

Government lapses, ‘unrealistic deadline’

Several studies over the years suggest that floods in Punjab are natural disasters primarily caused by overflowing rivers during the monsoon season. However, research also emphasises that human factors led to the disaster. 

A report in The Indian Express said the Punjab government had just 17 days to prepare for the monsoon after holding its first flood-preparedness meeting on June 5, barely three weeks before the southwest monsoon hit the state on June 22.

The government released Rs 117 crore for repair of 2,800 km of dhussi bandhs and cleaning of drains across 23 districts, but the timeline was unworkable, the report noted. “It takes time to release funds even after the CM clears it. The June 30 deadline was unrealistic,” a senior official told the paper.

“In February, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders were busy with Delhi Assembly elections, so no meeting was convened then. When the meeting was finally held in June, the state was left with very little time to prepare, especially given that it has four major rivers: Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, and Ghaggar.”

A Frontline report quoted Mohali-based agricultural expert Devinder Sharma as saying that Punjab has faced recurring floods in recent years, demanding serious introspection into their causes. “Besides neglected desilting of streams and canals, the water releases from dams like Ranjit Sagar and Pandoh were delayed until overflow occurred.”

Experts have pointed to ineffective management and inadequate cleaning of drains, canals, and natural streams, blocked waterways, feeble and poorly maintained embankments, dwindling green cover, illegal mining and deforestation, and unregulated construction along floodplains and riverbanks have also significantly increased the devastation resulting from these floods.

A South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People report previously pointed to mismanagement by the Bhakra Beas Management Board, noting that sudden and poorly timed water releases from the Bhakra and Pong dams contributed to the floods in Punjab in 2023. 

In a report released on Monday, SADRP stated that “massive floods that Punjab experienced and parts continue to experience even now has a lot to do with the way Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams were operated. There was sufficient actionable information that was available to take advance water release action. Had these actions been taken, the proportions of the disaster could have been reduced.”

Stories of hope

While the state battles the flood, aid has poured in from neighbouring Haryana as individuals, NGOs, and khap panchayats. There have been several stories of hope and solidarity. Gurdwaras and deras have led from the front while social media posts recorded local resolve.

The Tribune reported how an NGO from Haryana’s Bhiwani village has been delivering food and water to displaced families for the past five days. Similarly, the Naugama Khap in Jind passed a resolution to send foodgrains and essentials through their panchayats to the neighbouring villages in Patiala and Mansa districts. In Hisar, the Pagdi Sambhal Jatta Kisan Sangharsh Samiti rallied villagers from Kabrel to contribute relief materials, including 20 sacks of potatoes, 10 sacks of onions, 300 cartons of bottled water, 22 cartons of biscuits, 12 sacks of rice, along with other essentials, which were dispatched in two pickup vans to the affected districts.

The World MSME Forum made an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a flood relief package of Rs 1 lakh crore for the state’s battered agriculture, dairy, industry, and trade sectors, The Times of India reported. Forum president Badish Jindal also urged the PM to extend tax filing deadlines and offer interest-free loans to help industries recover. 

Celebrities and artists also pitched in their support for the flood-hit citizens of Punjab. Actor and singer Ammy Virk announced via X that he and his team will support 200 families affected by the floods.  

Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh announced that he has adopted 10 flood-affected villages in Gurdaspur and Amritsar in collaboration with NGOs and the local administration. 

While singer and actor Gippy Grewal announced on his Instagram handle that he has sent 10 trucks full of animal feed, singer Karan Aujla posted on his Instagram that he has sent medicines, boats, food, and fodder to flood-hit areas of Punjab.

Actor Sonam Bajwa announced through her Instagram account that she, with her Nikka Zaildar 4 team, will visit the flood-hit areas in Punjab and provide trucks full of essentials. 

Similarly, actors Sonu Sood and Sanjay Dutt have also pledged their support to the people affected by floods in Punjab. Dutt said he will “support in any way he can”, while Sood said, “If you need any kind of help, please don’t hesitate to message — we will do our best to reach out and support you in any way we can.”

The Telegraph reported on an elderly man who risked his own safety to help a dog submerged in water in Ajnala. A viral video showed a group of Punjabis reciting a paath while repairing embankments in Sultanpur. Another video showed a group of people carrying essentials in a truck to the flood-affected Dera Baba Nanak area. 

Meanwhile, the Punjab on the other side of the border, in Pakistan, is reeling under the worst flood it has seen in its history, and the second-highest toll in the country at 209. An NYT report said, “Coming just three years after record floods in 2022 submerged a third of Pakistan, the heavy rains have underscored just how devastating and intense rainfalls have become the norm, rather than the exception, for the country. They have also raised questions about preparedness and provoked criticism of the authorities for failing to warn residents early enough or for letting deforestation go unchecked.”

“Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has argued that not enough lessons were learned from the 2022 floods. Climate researchers have concurred, arguing that human error, such as construction near rivers and late warnings from the authorities, had worsened the impact of the heavy rains.”

The report also pointed to tensions with India. “The floods have added to the tensions between the two countries. Pakistan has accused India of “weaponising water” and worsening the impact of the floods in Punjab by releasing water from dams upstream without providing details on how much or when those releases would occur. India has not commented publicly on the accusations.”

Our latest Sena project tracks how elites take over public spaces in urban India, and the price that’s paid by you. Click here to contribute.