Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 6 : Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Saturday said that floods continue to affect large parts of the state, with 48 more villages, 2,691 people and 2,131 hectares of standing crops coming under the impact during the last 24 hours.
With this, the total number of affected villages has risen to 1,996 across 22 districts, leaving a population of 3,87,013 hit by floodwaters.
Providing district-wise details, the Minister informed that Jalandhar reported 19 newly affected villages, Ludhiana 13, Ferozepur 6, Amritsar 5, Hoshiarpur 4, and Fazilka 1. He said that rescue operations are continuing round the clock, and in the past 24 hours alone, 925 more people have been moved to safety. This has taken the total number of rescued persons so far to 22,854.
The highest evacuations have been carried out in Gurdaspur, where 5,581 people have been shifted, followed by Fazilka with 4,202, Ferozepur with 3,888, Amritsar with 3,260, Hoshiarpur with 1,616, Pathankot with 1,139, and Kapurthala with 1,428.
At present, 139 relief camps are operational in Punjab, housing 6,121 affected persons. Since the beginning of the floods, a total of 219 relief camps have been set up across the state. Fazilka district alone is providing shelter to 2,588 people in 14 camps.
Barnala has accommodated 527 persons in 49 camps, while 921 are staying in four camps in Hoshiarpur, 250 in five camps in Rupnagar, 155 in three camps in Moga, and 89 in two camps in Mansa.
Mundian also reported that the floods have claimed three more lives in the last 24 hours, with fatalities reported from Amritsar and Rupnagar. This has taken the overall death toll in the state to 46 across 14 districts. In addition, three people are still missing in Pathankot district.
The scale of crop loss has also worsened, with 2,131 hectares of agricultural land damaged in the past 24 hours alone. The cumulative crop damage now stands at 1.74 lakh hectares across 18 districts.
The worst-affected areas include Gurdaspur with 40,169 hectares, Fazilka with 18,649 hectares, Ferozepur with 17,257 hectares, Kapurthala with 17,574 hectares, Hoshiarpur with 8,322 hectares, Sangrur with 6,560 hectares, Tarn Taran with 12,828 hectares, and SAS Nagar with 2,000 hectares.
Expressing gratitude to the armed forces and disaster response teams for their support, the Minister said that 23 teams of the National Disaster Response Force are actively engaged in relief and rescue operations in Amritsar, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Pathankot and Rupnagar, while two teams of the State Disaster Response Force are operational in Kapurthala.
The Indian Army has deployed 27 columns along with seven Engineer Task Forces in flood-hit regions. Rescue operations are also being supported by nine helicopters of the Indian Air Force and Army, in addition to one state government helicopter and 158 boats. The Border Security Force is extending critical assistance in the Ferozepur sector.
Mundian said the government remains fully committed to the safety and relief of affected citizens and assured that all necessary resources are being mobilised to minimise further loss of life and property.