Rising rivers, ravaged fields: Punjab flood toll hits 37

A fresh spell of heavy rainfall has compounded Punjab’s flood crisis, pushing the death toll to 37 on Wednesday, 3 September, and devastating crops across 1.75 lakh hectares in 23 districts—the state’s worst deluge since 1988.

Rising toll and damages

• The Revenue and Disaster Management Department confirmed fatalities across 12 districts, with the highest in Hoshiarpur (7), followed by Pathankot (6), Barnala (5), Amritsar and Ludhiana (4 each), Bathinda and Mansa (3 each), and one death each in Gurdaspur, Patiala, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, and Sangrur.

• Three persons remain missing in Pathankot.

• Major crop losses have been reported in Gurdaspur (40,169 ha), Mansa (24,967 ha), Amritsar (23,000 ha), Fazilka (17,786 ha), Ferozepur (17,620 ha), and Kapurthala (14,934 ha).

Villages and people affected

Over 3.55 lakh people across 1,655 villages are affected. Rescue and relief operations are being conducted by the NDRF, Army, BSF, Punjab Police, and local authorities.

Bhakra dam and river alerts

• At 6 am, the Bhakra dam water level stood at 1,677.84 ft against a maximum of 1,680 ft.

• Inflow: 86,822 cusecs, Outflow: 65,042 cusecs.

• Discharge is being raised to 75,000 cusecs due to relentless rains in Himachal Pradesh, sparking flood alerts in villages of Nangal (Rupnagar) and low-lying areas along the Sutlej.

• Alerts have also been issued for Rupnagar and Patiala, with schools, colleges, and universities closed till September 7.

Government response

• The Punjab government has released ₹71 crore as immediate relief.

• Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said the state is battling “one of the worst floods in recent decades.”

• Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will visit affected areas on Thursday.

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will also review crop losses the same day.

Political leaders on ground

• Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria visited flood-hit Pathankot.

• Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains toured over two dozen villages near the Sutlej and urged residents to shift to safer places.

• AAP leaders extended financial support:

  • Raghav Chadha: ₹3.25 crore from MPLADS

  • Sandeep Pathak: ₹5 crore from MPLADS in Ferozepur

  • Balbir Singh Seechewal: ₹50 lakh from discretionary funds

• Manish Sisodia visited Tarn Taran to assess the situation.

Rivers on the rise

Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir have swelled the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, flooding towns, villages, and farmland.

• Ghaggar river: Patiala district administration has sounded an alert for Rajpura subdivision.

• Tangri river: Water level is close to the danger mark in Ambala and may further impact Patiala.

With PTI inputs