‘Water Deluge’ in Punjab: How the Flood Crisis Is Evolving and Who’s Rallying to Help — Updates as They Unfold

Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): Floods in Punjab have taken a terrible form, due to which all 23 districts of the state have been hit by disaster. Looking at the seriousness of the situation, the state government has declared the entire Punjab as a disaster affected area. Chief Secretary KAP Sinha has issued an order cancelling the leave of all government employees with immediate effect. At the same time, in view of the safety of the students, holidays in all schools and colleges have been extended till September 7. So far 30 people have lost their lives in this disaster and more than 1400 villages are submerged in water, due to which the lives of more than 3.5 lakh people are in danger.

What is the latest situation in the state?

The fury of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers has caused massive destruction in many districts including Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Ferozepur. Gurdaspur has the most affected villages with 324 villages. More than 3.7 lakh acres of crops have been submerged in water in the state, due to which farmers have suffered a double blow.

The rivers are in a furious form, water has entered many villages.

The water level of the rivers is constantly above the danger mark. Due to the rising water level of Sutlej river in Jalandhar, flood water has entered about 30 villages. On the other hand, an alert has been issued for Patiala and Sangrur districts as the Ghaggar river is nearing the danger mark.

Politics has also intensified over the deteriorating situation in the state. Aam Aadmi Party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will reach Punjab today, Wednesday, to take stock of the flood damage and relief work. Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan informed on social media that he will visit Punjab on Thursday.

Meanwhile, AAP MP Raghav Chadha has announced the release of Rs 3.25 crore from his MP fund for flood protection and relief work. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also demanded an immediate relief package from the government for the affected farmers and families.

Rain became a death knell, 2 died in accidents.

In the midst of this disaster, painful accidents are also coming to the fore. Last night, due to continuous rain in Barnala, the roof of a house collapsed, and a husband and wife died after getting buried under the debris. Similarly, a house collapsed in Basti Sheikh area of ​​Jalandhar this morning. Fortunately, the owner of the house was outside at the time of the accident, due to which his life was saved, but the house was completely destroyed.

Who is helping the flood victims?

In this difficult time, people are coming forward from all sides to help the flood victims. From the government to the common citizens, everyone is contributing to fight this disaster:

Raghav Chadha released Rs 3.25 crore: MP Raghav Chadha has come forward to help the people affected by the floods in Punjab. He has allocated an amount of Rs 3.25 crore from his MPLADS (MP Fund) fund for relief and rescue operations in flood-affected areas.

Meet Hayer releases Rs 25 lakh: After rescue operations in the flood-affected areas of Amritsar, relief and rehabilitation work is now going on on a large scale. Teams of the district administration under the leadership of the Deputy Commissioner are engaged in providing all possible help to the affected people, in which various social organizations and donors are also providing full support. In this connection, on Wednesday, Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has announced a grant amount of Rs 25 lakh from his discretionary quota for flood relief work.

Government and military agencies: The central government has assured Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of all possible help. 12 columns of the Indian Army, 23 teams of the NDRF, more than 30 helicopters of the BSF and the Air Force are engaged in rescue and relief operations day and night. So far, about 20,000 people have been evacuated to safer places.

Support from neighbouring states: Haryana government has shown humanitarian gesture and has sent Rs 5 crore as financial aid to Punjab. Apart from this, Khap Panchayat and farmers' organizations of Haryana are also sending grains, fodder and other relief materials to Punjab in tractor-trolleys.

Artists and singers: Punjabi film and music industry has also come forward to help the victims. Singer Diljit Dosanjh has adopted 10 villages in Gurdaspur and Amritsar. At the same time, many artists like Satinder Sartaj, Amy Virk, and Gippy Grewal are engaged in delivering relief material and financial help at the ground level.

Social and religious organizations: Organizations like Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust and Khalsa Aid are providing langar, medicines, animal fodder and other essential items on a large scale. All the IPS officers of the state have also announced to donate their one day's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.