Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], September 1 : Following incessant rainfall in Ludhiana, Punjab, several residential areas witnessed severe waterlogging on Monday.
Ludhiana Municipal Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal, while talking to ANI, said, "It has been raining continuously since morning and there has been waterlogging in the low-lying areas. Our teams have been deployed and pumps and engines have been set up to flush out the water..."
Highlighting the severity of the current situation of Punjab, Dachalwal said, "I have been in Punjab for the last 10 years and I have never seen so much rain."
Imran, a resident, said, "It has been raining incessantly since last night, this is why there is so much waterlogging... I have been living here for four years, and I haven't seen so much water before this... Our work has also been affected..."
Harish Kumar, another resident, said, "There was no water till 7:30 am... Around 9:30 a.m., a dam on the other side broke, leading to waterlogging here... This time, waterlogging and rainfall have been incessant... This is a failure of the government. There is no work on the ground..."
Punjab is reeling under the impact of severe floods triggered by incessant rains, with large-scale devastation reported across the state.
Earlier, Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister S. Hardeep Singh Mundian noted that the floods have affected more than 2.56 lakh people across 12 districts, displacing thousands and causing heavy losses to human lives, property, agriculture, and livestock.
The Minister stated that, so far, 15,688 people have been evacuated from flood-hit areas, with the highest numbers reported from Gurdaspur (5,549), Ferozepur (3,321), Fazilka (2,049), Amritsar (1,700), Pathankot (1,139), and Hoshiarpur (1,052). To provide immediate relief, the state government has set up 129 relief camps, sheltering 7,144 people. Ferozepur accounts for the maximum with 3,987 inmates, followed by Fazilka (1,201), Hoshiarpur (478), Pathankot (411), and Gurdaspur (424).
So far, 1,044 villages have been affected, with Gurdaspur alone accounting for 321 villages, followed by Kapurthala (115), Hoshiarpur (94), Amritsar (88), and Pathankot (82). The worst-hit district is Gurdaspur, where nearly 1.45 lakh people have been impacted. Amritsar (35,000), Ferozepur (24,015), and Fazilka (21,562) are also among the districts most severely affected.
To aid relief and rescue operations, the state has mobilised multiple agencies. The NDRF has deployed 20 teams, while the Army, Navy, and Air Force have stationed 10 columns with 8 on standby, along with engineer units. Over 35 helicopters are engaged in rescue missions, supported by 114 boats and one state helicopter. BSF units have also been deployed in the affected border areas.
The disaster has claimed 29 human lives between August 1 and September 1. Pathankot reported the highest toll of six deaths, while three each were recorded in Amritsar, Barnala, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, and Mansa. Other districts reporting casualties include Bathinda (1), Gurdaspur (1), Patiala (1), Rupnagar (3), SAS Nagar (1), and Sangrur (1). In addition, three people remain missing in Pathankot.