3.47L acres of paddy submerged in 5 dists, 3.6L livestock perish

As Punjab begins to pick up the pieces and start rehabilitation work, the authorities have started assessing the scale of devastation caused by the floods that have ravaged the state over the past fortnight.

Lakhs of acres of standing crops, including paddy, cotton, maize and sugarcane, have been submerged under water that rushed down from the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers. An estimated 3.60 lakh livestock, mainly cattle, along with approximately 18,000 poultry birds are believed to have perished in the floods.

Officials indicate that hundreds of animals may also have been swept away, possibly toward Pakistan, in the raging waters of the Ravi and Sutlej.

According to available data, paddy crop on 3,47,601 acres have been impacted, primarily in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Fazilka, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts. Cotton crops in Mansa, Fazilka and Muktsar have also been severely damaged. “These are initial assessments by agriculture officials. The full extent of the damage will be known only after a special girdawari (field inspection) is conducted,” said a senior official in the Agriculture Department.

With no time left for re-sow paddy, farmers whose fields remain inundated will have no harvest this Kharif season. As a result, the Punjab Government is urging the Centre to revise compensation norms to allow payments of Rs 50,000 per acre. Under current rules, only Rs 6,800 per acre can be provided for crop damage due to natural calamities. The state government adds another Rs 8,200 per acre from its own funds, bringing the total to Rs 15,000 per acre. Since the state has over Rs 10,000 crore in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), it has sought central permission to disburse additional compensation to farmers.

Meanwhile, the BKU Ugrahan organised protest rallies at 16 locations today, demanding prompt assessment of crop losses and timely compensation for affected farmers.

Initial reports also indicate damage to maize crops on 7,395 acres in Rupnagar, Kapurthala, Fazilka and Barnala; sugarcane on 28,931 acres in Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Kapurthala; and other crops, including citrus fruits and vegetables on 19,837 acres.

Official sources say that when the two inter-ministerial central teams, currently assessing individual and public infrastructure damage, meet with top state officials, the state government is expected to seek a comprehensive rehabilitation package and reiterate its request to use disaster relief funds for enhanced financial support.