New Delhi [India], September 6 : Incessant rainfall and swelling rivers have caused devastation in Punjab, leaving several villages submerged and thousands of people struggling for essential supplies.
The death toll in the state has risen to 46, officials said on Saturday.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema termed the floods the worst in five decades, accusing the centre of failing to extend adequate support.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, the Punjab Finance Minister said that nearly 2,000 villages and over four lakh people have been affected.
"Agriculture, the backbone of the state's economy, has suffered extensive damage with 1.72 lakh hectares of farmland impacted across 18 districts. Homes, livestock and public infrastructure have also borne the brunt of the disaster, while the Ghaggar river has crossed the danger mark of 750 feet. The Finance Minister said that despite the unprecedented scale of the disaster, the Punjab Government moved swiftly to launch coordinated rescue and relief operations. More than 22,000 people have been evacuated to safety, and around 200 relief camps have been set up across the state, currently sheltering over 7,000 affected people," Cheema said.
He said that 24 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on the ground, supported by 144 boats and a state government helicopter.
He added that the Revenue Department has released Rs 71 crore for relief efforts.
In addition, showing solidarity, the entire Punjab Cabinet and all legislators have contributed one month's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. AAP MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are also utilising their MP funds to support flood victims, while the state's Excise and Taxation Department has contributed Rs 50 lakh for relief measures.
Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said that 48 more villages, 2,691 people and 2,131 hectares of standing crops were affected in 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," he said.
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 brings the total number of rescued persons to 22,854 so far, he said.
"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," he pointed out.
According to officials, 139 relief camps are currently operational in Punjab, housing 6,121 affected individuals. 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.
Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian also pointed out 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," he said.
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.
According to officials, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Ferozepur, and Hoshiarpur are among the worst-hit districts. This includes 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, Minister Mundian said that 23 teams of the NDRF 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 SDRF are deployed in Kapurthala.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army, along with other disaster response forces, continued to carry out rescue and relief operations on Saturday.
Officials said that the Army has deployed 27 columns along with seven Engineer Task Forces in flood-hit areas. 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 (NSF) is extending critical assistance in the Ferozepur sector.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that her government would contribute Rs 5 crore to the Punjab Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
"The Delhi government has decided to contribute Rs 5 crore to the Punjab Chief Minister's Relief Fund. In this difficult time, the pain of the brothers and sisters of Punjab is a shared pain of all of us. The people and government of Delhi stand with affection and sympathy with the people struggling with this disaster. We pray to God that the affected families recover from this calamity soon, and happiness, peace and prosperity return to the sacred land of Punjab," CM Gupta posted on X.