Punjab Floods: Death Toll Rises To 43, Chouhan Visits Flood-Hit Areas

The death toll in the devastating floods in Punjab rose to 43 on Thursday, while crops on 1.71 lakh hectares of land were damaged.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited flood-hit areas in the state, assuring people that the Centre stands with them in this hour of crisis.

As the water level in the Bhakra dam was just one foot short of its maximum capacity of 1,680 feet and more water was discharged, the Rupnagar district administration appealed to people living in low-lying areas and near the Sutlej river to move to safer places.

The Patiala district administration also issued an alert for the residents of villages near the Ghaggar river in Patran in the wake of heavy rainfall in its catchment areas.

The Punjab government directed the deployment of gazetted officers in every marooned village to effectively monitor the rescue-and-relief operations.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said to ensure direct communication between the administration and those in the flood-hit areas, a gazetted officer has been deputed for each village.

This will enable the affected people to share their problems and ensure a prompt and appropriate solution, he said.

Mann said massive relief-and-rescue operations are going on in the flood-hit areas to ensure that people do not face any problem.

The state government has ordered a special 'girdawari' to ascertain the losses incurred by people due to the floods.

Chouhan inspected the extent of crop damage and called it a situation of 'jal pralai' (deluge). The Union minister assured farmers that the BJP-led Centre will make every effort to bail them out of this crisis.

Chouhan visited flood-hit areas in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Kapurthala districts and interacted with people, including farmers.

He said two central teams are visiting Punjab to assess the situation and will submit a report to the Union government.

'The loss is visible. The crops are completely damaged and the fields inundated,' he said.

Governor Gulab Chand Kataria submitted a detailed report on the flood situation to Chouhan at the Amritsar airport and apprised him of the ground realities in these areas, highlighting the extensive damage caused to life, property, crops and infrastructure.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal visited flood-affected areas in Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district and requested the Centre to help Punjab in this hour of crisis.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal called on Mann at his official residence in Chandigarh and inquired about his health. Mann, who was down with fever, could not accompany Kejriwal during his visit to the flood-hit areas.

Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said a total of 1,902 villages in 23 districts have been affected due to the unprecedented floods, impacting a population of more than 3.84 lakh.

He said with six more casualties recorded in 24 hours, a total of 43 lives have been lost across 14 districts.

The highest fatalities have been reported from Hoshiarpur (seven), followed by Pathankot (six), Barnala and Amritsar (five each), Ludhiana and Bathinda (four each), Mansa (three), Gurdaspur and SAS Nagar (two each), Patiala, Rupnagar, Sangrur, Fazilka and Ferozepur (one death each).

Three persons are missing in Pathankot.

The flood-related data is for the period from August 1 to September 4.

Extensive damage to standing crops over 1.71 lakh hectares of farmland has been reported, with Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Kapurthala and Mansa among the worst-hit districts.

A total of 1,902 villages are inundated, affecting a population of 3,84,205, the minister said, adding that 20,972 people have so far been evacuated from the flood-hit areas.

Meanwhile, Rupnagar Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Singh Walia requested people residing in low-lying areas near the Sutlej river in several villages of Nangal and Anandpur Sahib to move to safer places or go to the relief camps set up by the district administration.

He said the water level in the Bhakra dam is stable. Around 85,000 cusecs of water was discharged from the dam on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the DC had said the water level in the dam had reached 1,679 feet, while the water discharge was about 75,000 cusecs and it might be increased to 80,000 to 85,000 cusecs.

Punjab is facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods are a result of the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, along with seasonal rivulets, following heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Besides, heavy rains in recent days in Punjab have aggravated the challenges faced by residents.