Punjab floods: 29 lives lost, 2.56 lakh people impacted in one month

The devastating floods in Punjab have claimed 29 lives so far, the maximum in Pathankot district, besides impacting the lives of more than 2.56 lakh people, officials said on Monday.

Twelve out of 23 districts in the state have been hit in the one month starting August 1, in what the state government called one of the worst flood disasters to hit Punjab in decades, an official bulletin said.

Punjab is facing massive floods caused by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets due to heavy rain in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The flood situation worsened due to heavy rainfall in many parts of the state.

According to the bulletin, of the 29 casualties, the maximum – six – have been reported from Pathankot district. Amritsar, Barnala, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Mansa and Rupnagar districts reported three deaths each, while Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Mohali and Sangrur saw one death each, the bulletin said.

Three persons are missing in Pathankot, it added.

So far, 15,688 people have been evacuated to safer places across the state.

The district-wise break-up shows 5,549 people have been rescued in Gurdaspur, 3,321 in Ferozepur, 2,049 in Fazilka, 1,700 in Amritsar, 1,139 in Pathankot, 1,052 in Hoshiarpur, 515 in Kapurthala, 163 in Mansa, 115 in Moga, 60 in Tarn Taran, while 25 persons have been rescued in Barnala district, the bulletin said.

The floods have impacted 1,044 villages, including 321 in Gurdaspur, 88 in Amritsar, 24 in Barnala, 72 in Fazilka, 76 in Ferozepur, 94 in Hoshiarpur, 55 in Jalandhar, 115 in Kapurthala, 77 in Mansa, 39 in Moga, 82 in Pathankot and one in SAS Nagar, according to the bulletin.

A total of 2,56,107 people have been affected by the floods, with Amritsar (35,000) leading the chart, followed by Ferozepur (24,015), Fazilka (21,562), Pathankot (15,053) Gurdaspur (14,500), Hoshiarpur (1,152), SAS Nagar (7,000), Kapurthala (5,650), Moga (800), Jalandhar (653), Mansa (163), and Barnala (59).

According to the bulletin, a huge loss of livestock has been reported from the affected villages, though the exact figures can be determined once the floodwater recedes, the bulletin said.

Similarly, the damages related to infrastructure will be ascertained after the water recedes.

A total of 96,061 hectares of farmland has been impacted by the floods in several districts, the bulletin said.

The entire state machinery, along with the NDRF, SDRF, Army and Punjab Police, is working round-the-clock to safeguard lives and property, it said.

A total of 20 teams from the NDRF are working in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Bathinda districts, the bulletin said.