Punjab floods: NGOs, Sikh organisations pitch in to step up relief, rescue operations

Several NGOs and Sikh organisations are bolstering government and agency efforts in relief and rescue operations across the flood-hit districts in Punjab.

Massive floods, caused by swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, along with seasonal rivulets due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, have severely affected Punjab.

Volunteers from various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are actively engaged in providing relief and rescuing families impacted by the floods. They are distributing rations, fodder for cattle, and helping to evacuate especially vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly, women and children.

Manjot Singh, representing Baba Deep Singh Sewa Dal Garhdiwala, said their volunteers are operating in the affected villages. “We have eight boats, which have been deployed for providing relief material and evacuating those who are stranded in the swamped areas,” Singh told PTI.

Singh, who was in a flood-hit village in the border district of Ferozepur, described the conditions in the affected villages as dire.

At many flood-hit locations, people have stated that their areas are submerged under 5 to 6 feet of water, forcing them to sleep on their rooftops. Some even shifted their cattle to their roofs to protect them from the floodwaters.

Residents of the severely affected villages have suffered significant losses, with damage to beds, mattresses and electronics. The worst-hit areas include villages in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar districts.

In response to the disaster, Sikh organisations and various NGOs have set up camps to provide assistance. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which is the apex religious body for the Sikhs, is also extending aid to the flood-hit areas. Several gurdwaras in the affected districts have also set up a relief centre for the flood-affected.

On Saturday, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami visited the flood-affected villages in the constituencies of Ramdas and Dera Baba Nanak, situated along the Ravi river.

The SGPC dispatched substantial relief supplies for the Dera Baba Nanak area, including 150 quintals of wheat flour, 30 quintals of pulses, 5,000 cartons of drinking water, and other essential items. Similarly, two truckloads of relief material were also sent to the Ramdas area.

Akal Takht’s officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj has appealed to all Punjabis, particularly Sikh organisations, to extend help to the flood-affected people in the state.

He emphasised the importance of ensuring that no Punjabi is left without shelter and food during this disaster, and that livestock also receives necessary fodder.

As relief efforts intensified, the Hoshiarpur district administration, under Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain, launched the ‘Charda Suraj’ campaign in collaboration with the Red Cross Society and several NGOs, successfully reaching 1,225 flood-affected individuals in the district.

According to district officials, langar services, fodder for animals and essential supplies are being provided by organisations, including the Red Cross Society, Unnati Cooperative Sabha, Baba Deep Singh Welfare Society, Guru Nanak Sewa Society of Gera village in Mukerian, Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Humanity First, Sarbat Da Bhala Sewa Society, Lions Club Tanda, Paint and Hardware Association, and Guru Ramdas Sewa Society.

Volunteers from Civil Defence and Baba Deep Singh Welfare Society also assisted in evacuating residents to safer areas.