The minister said that Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Mansa, Ferozepur, and Fazilka are among the worst-hit districts, accounting for the bulk of the agricultural losses.
Photo: Facebook
Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation, and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Wednesday said that the state is reeling under one of the worst floods in recent decades with widespread crop loss reported across 1,75,216 hectares of farmland.
The minister said that Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Mansa, Ferozepur, and Fazilka are among the worst-hit districts, accounting for the bulk of the agricultural losses. The scale of damage to crops, villages, and population underlines the severity of the calamity that has gripped 23 districts of Punjab.
Advertisement
Giving details of relief operations, Hardeep Singh Mundian said that over 20,000 persons have been evacuated from low-lying and severely affected areas. Major evacuations were carried out in Gurdaspur (5581 persons), Ferozepur (3495), Amritsar (2734), Fazilka (2422), Hoshiarpur (1615), Kapurthala (1428), Pathankot (1139), Barnala (369), Jalandhar (474), Mansa (16), Rupnagar (65), Moga (115) and Tarn Taran (21).
Advertisement
To accommodate the displaced, 167 relief camps have been set up across the state, 29 in Barnala, 26 in Patiala, 23 in SBS Nagar, 11 each in Fazilka and Jalandhar, 16 in Amritsar, 14 in Pathankot, 13 in Gurdaspur, 8 in Ferozepur, 5 in Hoshiarpur, 3 in Rupnagar, 4 in Kapurthala, 2 in Moga and 1 each in Mansa and Sangrur. In these camps, 5,304 people are currently sheltered. The largest numbers are housed in Fazilka (1468), Hoshiarpur (1041), Ferozepur (706), Amritsar (371), Jalandhar (474), Barnala (369), Pathankot (417), Mansa (163), Moga (115), Sangrur (75), Kapurthala 57, Rupnagar (35) and Gurdaspur (13), he added.
The revenue minister informed that 1,655 villages have been inundated, affecting a population of 3,55,709 persons. The most severely affected districts include Gurdaspur (324 villages), Amritsar (190), Kapurthala (123), Hoshiarpur (121), Mansa (114), Ferozepur (111), Pathankot (88), Fazilka (77), Sangrur (107), Tarn Taran (70), Jalandhar (64), Patiala (53) and SBS Nagar (44).
Smaller but significant impacts have been reported in Bathinda (13), Faridkot (15), Rupnagar (5), Ludhiana (26), Barnala (37), Sri Muktsar Sahib (24), Malerkotla (7), SAS Nagar (13) and Moga (29).
The Revenue Minister informed that a total of 3,55,709 people have been affected, with Amritsar (1,17,534), Gurdaspur (1,45,000), Ferozepur (39,076) and Fazilka (21,562) among the worst hit.
Other districts reporting impact include Pathankot (15,053), Kapurthala (5728), SAS Nagar (7,000), Hoshiarpur (1966) and Jalandhar (991), while smaller numbers were reported in Barnala (476), Moga (800), Rupnagar (300), Mansa (163) and Tarn Taran (60).
Divulging details of the damages on the agricultural front, the minister said 1,75,216 hectares of standing crops have been damaged in the state. Gurdaspur alone has suffered losses over 40,169 hectares, followed by Mansa (24,967), Amritsar (23,000 hectares), Fazilka (17,786), Ferozepur (17,620), Kapurthala (14,934), Tarn Taran (12,828), Sangrur (6560), Hoshiarpur (5971), Pathankot (2442), Jalandhar (3000), SAS Nagar (2000), Patiala (600), Moga (2240), Bathinda (586), Rupnagar (300), SBS Nagar (181) and Ludhiana (32).
Mundian informed that 37 lives have been lost across 12 districts, while three persons remain missing in Pathankot. The highest fatalities have been reported in Hoshiarpur (7), Pathankot (6) and Barnala (5), followed by Amritsar and Ludhiana with 4 each, while 3 each deaths reported in Bathinda and Mansa, 1 each in Gurdaspur, Patiala, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar and Sangrur.
He said in the rescue operations, a total of 22 NDRF teams are active in districts including Amritsar and (Gurdaspur (4 each), Pathankot, Ferozepur and Fazilka (3 each), Jalandhar (2), Bathinda, Rupnagar and Kapurthala (1 each). The Army, Air Force and Navy have deployed columns with engineers in the district including Gurdaspur (3), Pathankot, Rupnagar and Amritsar (2 each) and Kapurthala, Ferozepur and Fazilka (1 each).
He said around 35 helicopters deployed to aid evacuation and supply of relief material. The BSF has been supporting efforts in border district Gurdaspur. The State Government has also deployed 117 boats and a state helicopter to intensify relief operations.
Advertisement
