Saturday, March 29, 2025
Amritsar |
The Satluj river is overflowing, causing severe flood havoc across Punjab. In Ludhiana, a portion of the Sasrali embankment gave way, forcing the Army to take charge of rescue and relief operations. Meanwhile, a section of the road adjoining NH-44 in Pathankot was swept away by swollen waters, leaving dangerous cracks on the highway.
Amid worsening floods, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced that a gazetted officer has been appointed in every village to directly monitor relief efforts and connect with affected people. He shared the update on social media, assuring that this will help address problems quickly.
Earlier in the day, the CM’s health had deteriorated and he could not accompany AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal to inspect flood-hit regions.
Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Ferozepur villages are inundated as waters from the Ravi and Satluj crossed danger levels. In Amritsar alone, 140 villages have been submerged.
In Ferozepur’s Palla Megha village, the Satluj crossed into Pakistan, flooding a village and a police check post across the border. There is also fear of another embankment breach in the area.
In Ropar, a gurdwara wall collapsed due to hillside erosion triggered by floodwaters.
In Pathankot, heavy water flow damaged NH-44, washing away the side road and causing cracks on the main highway.
Taking note of the devastation caused by heavy rain and floods, the Supreme Court sent a notice to the Punjab government, asking for a detailed report within three weeks. The Chief Justice of India remarked: “We have never witnessed such rainfall or floods before.”
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the state to assess the ground situation. He is inspecting affected districts and interacting with farmers.
23 districts affected: From Amritsar to Tarn Taran, 23 districts including Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Pathankot, Patiala, Rupnagar (Ropar), SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr), Mohali, Sangrur, and Muktsar are flood-hit.
1,655 villages inundated: Among the worst affected are Amritsar (390 villages), Gurdaspur (324), Kapurthala (178), Ludhiana (216), Hoshiarpur (121), Mansa (114), Ferozepur (111).
Over 3.55 lakh people impacted: The maximum affected populations are in Amritsar (1,75,734), Gurdaspur (1,45,006), and Fazilka (21,526), with thousands more suffering in Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Moga, Sangrur, and Mohali.
37 deaths reported so far: Spread across 12 districts — Jalandhar (9), Hoshiarpur (7), Barnala (5), Pathankot (5), Amritsar (4), Bathinda (3), Kapurthala (3), Sangrur (1). Three people are still missing in Pathankot. Animal losses remain uncounted but are expected to be significant.
19,474 people rescued: Relief teams have evacuated 19,474 persons to safer places — including 5,615 from Kapurthala, 3,451 from Hoshiarpur, 2,734 from Amritsar, and 1,428 from Jalandhar.
Mohali DC Komal Mittal inspected flood-hit regions.
In Ajnala, water levels have slightly gone down, and locals have resumed movement on roads with their vehicles.
In Nakodar’s Sangowal and Phagwara’s Miowal villages, residents are reinforcing embankments.
In Ramdas (Amritsar), houses were destroyed by floodwaters.
⚠️ With the situation worsening across Punjab, the deployment of the Army, Supreme Court intervention, and Centre’s involvement highlight the unprecedented scale of the disaster.
