Flood Fury in Punjab: Ravi River Breaches Embankments, Inundates Border Districts

Punjab is grappling with a severe flood crisis as incessant rainfall in the upstream catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir has led to the swelling of the Ravi River, causing it to breach its embankments and inundate vast swathes of agricultural land and villages in the border districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar. The grim situation has triggered large-scale rescue and relief operations by multiple agencies, including the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Border Security Force (BSF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

The situation escalated dramatically following the release of surplus water from the Ranjit Sagar Dam and the failure of several floodgates at the historic Madhopur headworks. The gushing waters have advanced several kilometers inland, submerging dozens of villages and cutting them off from essential services. Reports indicate that entire localities, including parts of the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, located across the border in Pakistan, have been submerged.

In Gurdaspur, the breach of an embankment near the Dinanagar–Narot Jaimal Singh road has caused widespread flooding in surrounding villages, forcing residents to abandon their homes. A particularly harrowing incident saw approximately 400 students and staff of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Daburi village trapped as the ground floor of the school was submerged under more than four feet of water. An emergency rescue operation was launched, with Army and NDRF teams successfully evacuating them to safety.

Similarly, in Amritsar district, particularly in the Ajnala and Ramdass areas, breaches in a protective “dhussi bundh” have allowed the river water to flow into over 20 villages, leaving residents stranded and in need of urgent assistance. District officials have been seen overseeing operations on tractors as roads have become impassable.

The flooding has had a devastating impact on the region’s infrastructure and agriculture. Standing crops on hundreds of thousands of acres have been submerged, causing immense distress to farmers who now face significant financial losses. The rising water levels have also crippled rail traffic, with several trains being cancelled or diverted due to heavy soil erosion and flash floods on railway tracks.

In response to the escalating crisis, the Punjab government has launched a full-scale relief effort. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has visited the affected areas, leaving the official state helicopter behind for the immediate delivery of relief supplies like milk, water, and rations to stranded individuals. A dedicated flood management committee has been formed, and a central flood control room has been established in Jalandhar to coordinate the rescue and relief efforts across the state. The government has also ordered the closure of all schools until August 30 in anticipation of more rainfall.

While the immediate focus remains on rescue and evacuation, authorities and residents are wary of the potential for the situation to worsen, as meteorological forecasts predict continued heavy rainfall in the region. The flooding has drawn comparisons to the devastating floods of 1988, a stark reminder of the vulnerability of the region to such natural calamities. As the waters continue to flow downstream, concerns are also mounting for other districts along the course of the rivers, including Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Fazilka, where the situation is being monitored round-the-clock.