OVER 3.54 LAKH PEOPLE AFFECTED, FLOODS CLAIM 30 LIVES AND IMPACTED 1400 VILLAGES
MORE THAN 1.48 LAKH HECTARES OF CROPS DAMAGED IN WORST FLOOD
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian today said that Punjab is facing one of the most widespread floods in recent decades, which has impacted as many as 23 districts, claiming 30 human lives and leaving more than 3.54 lakh people affected. He said that the State Government under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann is making every possible effort to ensure timely relief, large-scale evacuation and rehabilitation of families in flood-hit regions.
Giving details, the Cabinet Minister informed that 19,597 people have been safely evacuated so far from low-lying and flood-affected areas. Major evacuations were reported from Gurdaspur (5581 persons), Ferozepur (3432), Amritsar (2734), Fazilka (2422), Hoshiarpur (1615), Kapurthala (1428) and Pathankot (1139), besides others districts including Barnala (369), Jalandhar (474), Rupnagar (65), Mansa (163), Moga (115) and Tarn Taran (60).
He further said that 174 relief camps have been established across Punjab to provide shelter and essential facilities to affected families. These include 29 camps in Barnala, 26 in Patiala, 25 in Gurdaspur, 20 in Hoshiarpur, 16 in Amritsar, 14 in Pathankot, 10 in Fazilka, 9 in Moga, 8 each in Ferozepur and Jalandhar, 4 in Kapurthala, 3 in Rupnagar and 1 each in Mansa and Sangrur. Currently, 5167 people are housed in these camps, the highest being in Hoshiarpur (1041), Fazilka (1304), Ferozepur (706), Gurdaspur (424), Amritsar (371), Barnala (369) and Jalandhar (474) and others are 163 in Mansa, 115 in Moga, 60 in Sangrur, 57 in Kapurthala, 48 in Pathankot and 35 in Rupnagar.
Sharing the scale of damage, S. Mundian said that a total of 1400 villages have been inundated. The most severely affected districts are Gurdaspur (324 villages), Amritsar (135), Hoshiarpur (119), Kapurthala (115), Mansa (108), Ferozepur (93), Pathankot (82), Fazilka (72), Jalandhar (62) and Tarn Taran (66). Besides this, 48 villages in Moga, 44 in Rupnagar, 34 in Barnala, 26 in Ludhiana, 23 in Sri Muktsar Sahib,16 in Patiala, 15 in Faridkot, 13 in Sangrur and 5 villages in Malerkotla have been affected.
Mundian informed that a total population of 3,54,626 has been affected across 13 districts of Punjab due to the floods. Among the worst-hit districts are Gurdaspur with 1,45,000 affected people, Amritsar with 1,17,534, Ferozepur with 38,112 and Fazilka with 21,562. Other districts that reported significant impact include Pathankot with 15,053, Kapurthala with 5748, SAS Nagar with 7000, Hoshiarpur with 1960 and Jalandhar with 991 persons affected. Meanwhile, smaller but notable impacts were recorded in Barnala (403), Moga (800), Rupnagar (300) and Mansa (163).
He pointed out that 1,48,590 hectares of standing crops have been damaged. The worst-hit areas include Gurdaspur (40,193 hectares), Mansa (27,291), Amritsar (23,000), Kapurthala (14,934), Ferozepur (14,665), Tarn Taran (11,883 hectares), Hoshiarpur (5971), Jalandhar (3000), Pathankot (2442), SAS Nagar (2000), Patiala (1450), Moga (949), Rupnagar (300), Faridkot (141), Ludhiana (108), Bathinda (97), Sri Muktsar Sahib (84), Fazilka (64), SBS Nagar (7), Malerkota (5), Sangrur (3), Barnala (2) and Fatehgarh Sahib (1).
On deployment of forces, the Cabinet Minister informed that 23 NDRF teams are working intensively in affected districts including Pathankot (1), Gurdaspur (6), Amritsar (6), Ferozepur (3), Fazilka (3), Bathinda (1), Jalandhar (2) and Rupnagar (1). The Army, Air Force and Navy have deployed 12 columns with 8 on standby, along with 2 engineer columns and around 35 helicopters for rescue and relief. The BSF has also been providing ground support in border districts. In addition, 114 boats and one state helicopter are being used for evacuations and supply of relief materials.
The Cabinet Minister stated that from August 1 to September 2, a total of 30 human lives have been lost across 12 districts, with Pathankot reporting the highest toll of 6 deaths. Three persons are still missing from Pathankot. He added that while the exact extent of livestock and infrastructure loss will be assessed once floodwaters recede, preliminary reports indicate severe damage to both.