Chandigarh: The flood situation in Punjab continues to worsen as the death toll climbed to 51, with more than 22,800 people rescued from inundated villages and towns, state authorities confirmed.
According to officials, the latest casualties include two deaths in Amritsar and one in Rupnagar, in addition to five fatalities reported after the last government bulletin. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema described the calamity as the state’s most severe flooding in nearly five decades, and criticized the Centre for not extending sufficient assistance. All 23 districts have been formally declared disaster-affected.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said floodwaters spread into 48 more villages over the past 24 hours, impacting nearly 2,700 people and submerging more than 2,100 hectares of farmland. In total, 1,996 villages across 22 districts have been hit, displacing or affecting close to 3.9 lakh residents.
Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Fazilka remain among the hardest-hit districts, where large-scale evacuations are underway. Relief camps have been set up, while damaged crops and washed-out homes paint a grim picture of the widespread losses.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Punjab on September 9 to assess the situation firsthand. Sources suggest he may conduct an aerial survey of the worst-affected zones, including sensitive border belts where fencing and several BSF posts have been damaged by floodwaters. The official itinerary is expected soon.
The state government has urged residents to remain cautious as rivers such as the Sutlej, Ravi, and Ghaggar continue to flow above safe levels, with heavy rains in neighbouring states keeping the risk of further flooding alive.
