Punjab's worst floods in nearly four decades: Crops on three Lakh acres damaged: 1,018 villages submerged

Punjab's worst floods in nearly four decades: Crops on three Lakh acres damaged: 1,018 villages submerged

Punjab's worst floods in nearly four decades: Crops on three Lakh acres damaged: 1,018 villages submerged

TNN

Chandigarh: Punjab’s water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal has criticised the central government holding it responsible for worsening the state’s worst flood disaster in the past 37 years.

Punjab’s water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal has criticised the central government holding it responsible for worsening the state’s worst flood disaster in the past 37 years. (@AAPPunjab)

Punjab’s water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal has criticised the central government holding it responsible for worsening the state’s worst flood disaster in the past 37 years. (@AAPPunjab)

Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Goyal asserted that the timely release of water by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in June could have significantly reduced the damage caused by the floods.

The Minister lamented that even as lakhs of people in Punjab continue to suffer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not made a single statement on the crisis, let alone extend any support to the state. He highlighted a troubling contradiction, pointing out that while Haryana sent letters offering assistance, it simultaneously reduced its water share during this monsoon — from 7,900 cusecs to 6,250 cusecs — in order to protect its own canal systems, thus leaving Punjab to fend for itself.

Goyal also flayed the BBMB for failing to release adequate water from the dams in June despite repeated requests. He suggested that timely action could have mitigated the flood impact. Goyal alleged that a private company, “Level 19 Biz Private Limited,” which had been hired in 2024 to assess the structural strength of the Madhopur headworks gates, had incorrectly certified them to withstand up to 6.25 lakh cusecs of water. However, the gates failed under pressure, collapsing and leading to the tragic death of a department employee.

As a result of the company’s negligence, the Punjab government has served a strict notice and initiated punitive action against the firm.

He said due to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, coupled with the convergence of water from ‘khuds’ and ‘nullahs’ into the regulated discharge from the state’s rivers, Punjab is witnessing one of the most devastating floods in its history, far worse than the catastrophic floods of 1988.

He pointed out that though only 2.15 lakh cusecs of water was released into Ravi from the Ranjit Sagar Dam, the additional flow from ‘khuds’ and ‘nullahs’ of adjoining states turned the situation into massive destruction.

Comparison with 1988 floods

The severity of this year’s floods has far exceeded previous records, with river Ravi carrying a flow of 14.11 lakh cusecs of water compared to 11.2 lakh cusecs in the catastrophic 1988 floods. Of this, only 2.15 lakh cusecs were released from the Ranjit Sagar Dam, while the rest of the flow originated from khuds, nullahs, and catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Punjab itself, the minister said.

Goyal explained that the additional flow from these areas, combined with the sudden convergence of floodwaters, resulted in widespread destruction across seven districts in Punjab. Additionally, four other districts were heavily impacted by floods from the Beas and Sutlej rivers.