Severe Flooding Grips Punjab, State Government Reports 37 Dead

Chandigarh: Amidst Punjab witnessing heavy rainfall, around 37 lives have been lost due to severe flooding, announced the state government on Thursday. According to the government of Punjab, around 1,655 villages have been affected, with Gurdaspur the most affected area of the lot, as 324 villages are impacted by flooding, followed by Ferozepur (111), Amritsar (190), Hoshiarpur (121), Kapurthala (123), and Sangrur (107), whose villages were significantly impacted by floods.

Further, the Punjab government said that around 1,75,216 hectares of total land have been affected. Gurdaspur was most affected, as 40,169 hectares of crop land were impacted due to heavy rain. Additionally, crop land in Mansa (24967), Sangrur (6560), Fazilika (17786), and Kapurthala (3000) was also affected. 

However, villages of SAS Nagar (13), SBS Nagar (44), Moga (29), Roopnagar (05), and Patiala (53) were least affected by floods. While in Malerkotla (32), the less hectares of crop lands were affected due to floods. Moreover, throwing light on the evacuation of the people, 19,474 people overall have been evacuated, with Amritsar (2734) and Gurdaspur (5581) witnessing the largest number of evacuations. 

As per the Punjab government, 167 relief camps are under operation, with around 29 relief camps being operated in Barnala. However, to deal with the floods, the government has stepped up rescue and relief operations across the state. Punjab Police had deployed drones to deliver relief to flood-hit villages in Amritsar. 

Aditya S Warrier, SP of Amritsar rural police, said that since the last five days, along with SSP Amritsar, Punjab and Haryana police, they have managed to reach various affected areas like Ajnala. In other parts of the state, evacuation drives have begun in villages along the Sutlej, where residents have been urged to shift to relief camps established by the government. 

Additionally, the villages in Nangal and Sri Anandpur Sahib, including Harsa Bela, Bela Ramgarh, Singhpura, Taraf Majara, Burj, Chandpur Bela, and Lodhipur, have been placed on high alert. Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will visit the flood-affected districts in the northern state today. 

During this visit, Chouhan is set to meet the Punjab Governor, Gulab Chand Kataria, and the Agriculture Minister of Punjab, Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, at Amritsar Airport. Ahead of the visit, Chouhan emphasised that the central government is keeping an eye on the situation. 

"I am going to the flood-affected areas of Punjab tomorrow (September 4). I want to tell my farmer brothers and sisters, people, that the central government is keeping an eye on the situation. Along with the state government, it will take every possible measure for the people. I will personally visit Punjab and see the situation there. I will discuss with the people and the farmers," Chouhan told reporters on Wednesday.

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