Thousands of people across Punjab spent the night stranded on rooftops after swollen rivers and broken embankments triggered massive flooding in several districts. 

Incessant rains and the release of dam waters have also damaged large tracts of newly planted paddy, worsening the crisis.

Worst-hit districts include Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Pathankot, all located along the India-Pakistan border. Floodwaters have also submerged villages in Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ropar, Anandpur Sahib and Fazilka, leaving families homeless and farmlands destroyed. Even several Border Security Force (BSF) check posts along the border have been damaged or washed away.

Massive Rescue Efforts

The NDRF, Army, BSF and the Air Force are jointly leading rescue missions.

  • IAF helicopters have evacuated 46 stranded civilians in Pathankot and airdropped over 750 kg of relief material.

  • In Gurdaspur’s Dera Baba Nanak, 38 Army and 10 BSF personnel were rescued in a high-stakes operation.

  • The BSF in Ferozepur saved scores of villagers and swiftly evacuated Army personnel, weapons and equipment when an Army camp was flooded.

Administration on Ground

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has directed ministers, MLAs and officials to remain in their constituencies and personally assist victims. In Amritsar, DC Sakshi Sawhney, SSP Maninder Singh and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal were seen wading through floodwaters to shift people to safety. The Army has deployed all-terrain vehicles in the region.

Volunteers Join Hands

Eco-activist and MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, known for reviving the sacred Kali Bein rivulet, is distributing relief in boats across Jalandhar and Kapurthala while also assisting in plugging breaches. More than 400 villages, mainly in Ropar, Anandpur Sahib, Jalandhar and Kapurthala, remain inundated by the swollen Sutlej.

The AAP women’s wing, led by MLA Amandeep Kaur Arora, has set up medical camps in flood-hit villages with specialist doctors, ensuring women and children receive food, hygiene essentials and treatment. “No kitchen will be left without food, and no patient without care,” Arora assured.

Crisis Deepens

Three floodgates of the Madhopur headworks near Pathankot broke under the force of gushing water, worsening the situation. Villagers across affected areas have blamed local administrations for poor preparedness despite warnings before the monsoon.