The Ravi, Beas and Sutlej have broken their banks, destroying crops, flooding homes and forcing Punjabis to drown along with their dreams. This natural disaster, coupled with government failures, is pushing Punjab back to the disastrous times of 1988. People are panicking.
The continuous rains in the last few days have turned Punjab into a big ocean. With the release of water from big dams like Ranjit Sagar Dam, Bhakra and Pong Dam, the Sutlej and Ravi have broken their banks and swallowed thousands of acres of paddy crops. Districts like Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Ferozepur are the worst affected. In Dera Baba Nanak, the Ravi has broken its embankment near the Kartarpur Corridor, due to which the village of Pakhoke Tahli Sahib and the surrounding areas have been submerged. Roads are blocked, traffic is at a standstill and villages have become islands. Heavy rains have increased the water coming from Himachal, due to which the river levels have crossed the danger mark.
People are fleeing their homes and fleeing to higher places. There is no fodder for the animals, children cannot go to school and farmers’ crops have been destroyed by being submerged in water. Thousands of acres of paddy crop have been destroyed in Tarn Taran and Ferozepur, which is not only killing agriculture but also sinking the economy. Veterinary teams are being sent on boats to save people and animals, but all this is not enough. There is a fear of spreading diseases, because mosquitoes and disease germs are making their home in the submerged houses. Holidays have been declared in schools, but this water is swallowing up the future of the children as well as their education.
It is worth mentioning here that heavy rains destroyed Punjab in four days during 1988. Bhakra region received 634 mm of rain, due to which 9 thousand villages out of 12 thousand were submerged in water. 2500 villages were completely destroyed. People died, crops and livestock were destroyed. This is considered the biggest flood in the history of Punjab, which made 34 lakh people homeless. Today’s situation is also pointing towards it. In 2023 too, floods in July-August affected 14 districts and 1 thousand villages, 65 died and 3059 houses were destroyed. Now in 2025 too, the release of water from dams and rain have made the situation serious. If the situation remains the same, a disaster like 1988 cannot be ruled out. The Meteorological Department has still warned of more rain, which can make this disaster more serious. Punjabis ask where is Bhagwant Mann, the Chief Minister of Punjab, missing? According to media reports, in such a crisis when people are drowning in water, he is on a tour of Tamil Nadu. The opposition Congress has surrounded him, saying that leaving people in God’s trust and going out is criminally irresponsible. Partap Singh Bajwa and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that how can there be such leaders who leave people helpless in a crisis. Mann has announced school holidays on his X handle, but is not at the spot himself. It is like a captain who abandons a sinking ship and runs away, and tells the passengers to swim. People are feeling this absence, because in such a situation, it is the responsibility of the leader to be among the people, and not sit somewhere far away and tweet. On the other hand, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has come forward again. They have arranged langar, ration, diesel and medicines for the affected people. President Harjinder Singh Dhami said that there are complete arrangements for staying in gurdwaras and medical camps are being set up to protect people from diseases. It is like a defensive wall that supports people even in the face of government failure. The SGPC has always fulfilled its duty of humanity. They have given shelter to people in gurdwaras for help, which is also showing a mirror to the governments.
Although the Punjab government has ordered to continue relief work on a war footing, and has cancelled the vacations of officers, opponents are saying that these are not sufficient efforts. Arrangements are lacking because the economy is already in shambles and construction work for flood management has not been done. The embankments have not been strengthened, due to which the temporary embankments are collapsing and the people are helpless. The government should use other means to help, and should not be limited to announcements alone.
The central government has not announced any relief package yet. Akali Dal President Giani Harpreet Singh has demanded that the Centre and the states make joint efforts. Why discriminate against Punjab? According to the riparian principle, Punjab has the right to water, but non-riparian states like Rajasthan and Haryana are taking free water. They should help Punjab in the devastation caused by floods. Otherwise, they should pay water royalty. The Centre has control over the dams and Punjab is suffering losses. People are blaming the Central Government. It is like a thief who is stealing Punjab’s water and is not even paying for the losses. The Centre should provide immediate assistance and discrimination against Punjab should stop. Finally, everyone should make efforts to get Punjab out of this disaster. Governments, society and parties should work together so that the devastation caused by floods is less. The people of Punjab need help, not government promises.
