Flashfloods inundate Kapurthala farmlands as Beas swells; paddy growers brace for losses

Flashfloods in the Chakki Mirthal area of Pathankot have led to a rise in the water level of the Beas, which submerged thousands of acres of farmland in Kapurthala. The worst-affected areas include Dhilwan and Bholath sub-divisions and Sultanpur Lodhi, where dozens of villages have been impacted.

Officials call the flooding “temporary”, occurring in areas where farmers had constructed “aarzi bandhs” (temporary embankments) and expect the water to recede in a few days.

Breaches in temporary bandhs at Sagarpur village in Kapurthala and Passan Kadim village in Sultanpur Lodhi worsened the situation, submerging farmlands. Shepherds (Gujjar communities) in Chakoki and Passan Kadim were forced to relocate to higher areas with their livestock.

Affected villages include Mand Habibwal, Tandi, Raipur Araiyan, Daudpur, Mirzapur, Butala, Dhilwan, Sherpur Dogra and Dhunda, where crops have been inundated.

While paddy is the main crop in the flooded areas, maize and vegetables are also cultivated in some pockets. No residential areas in the district have been affected so far. Residents of Baupur in Sultanpur Lodhi had raised alarms in July due to rising water level, but this marks the first major flooding in the Mand area this season.

Naishan Singh, a resident of Passan Kadim, where 250 acres of farmland (including his 6-7 acres) have been submerged, claimed nearly every farmer in the village had suffered losses, with some losing up to 15 acres of crops. He said, “Standing paddy and fodder crops are unlikely to survive the dirty floodwater. Despite appeals to the administration, no assistance has been provided. Some farmers even approached the authorities in Harike to request them to release water from our area, but to no avail.” Chakkoki village sarpanch Jagtar Singh expressed resentment over recurring floods during monsoons without any permanent solution.

Khushminder Singh, SDO, Drainage Department, Kapurthala, said, “The flooding is limited to the floodplain areas due to flashfloods at Chakki Mirthal and is not related to rains in the hilly areas or releases from dams. The water level is much lower than in 2023 (75,600 cusecs compared to 1.5 lakh cusecs). It is receding quickly, with no expected major crop damage or residential flooding.”

Meanwhile, affected farmers have demanded immediate aid and fair compensation for crop losses, along with long-term infrastructure to prevent flooding. The Mand area, situated at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas, has faced repeated floods in 1988, 1994, 2019 and 2023. Farmers here have endured significant losses over the years, with the 2023 floods leaving heavy sediment deposits that took years to clear.