Severe flooding in Punjab kills 24, inundates 1 000 villages and damages 60 000 ha of farmland
Severe flooding affecting Punjab since mid-August has killed 24 people, inundated over 1 000 villages, and damaged more than 60 000 ha (148 260 acres) of farmland as of August 30, 2025.
Helicopter rescue in Punjab, India, on August 28, 2025. Credit: Western Command of Indian Army
Severe flooding affecting Punjab since mid-August has claimed 24 lives as of August 30, impacting over 1 000 villages and destroying vast areas of farmland. The floods continue to ravage the state.
A total of 11 330 persons have been evacuated to safer locations from flood-affected areas through combined efforts of the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Border Security Force (BSF), and district authorities.
Evacuations include 2 819 persons from Ferozepur, 1 052 from Hoshiarpur, 240 from Kapurthala, 4 771 from Gurdaspur, 24 from Moga, 1 100 from Pathankot, 60 from Tarn Taran, 25 from Barnala, and 1 239 from Fazilka.
Rescue Operations & HADR Mission Continue. Indian Army Aviation, Indian Air Force and Ground Columns have evacuated more than 1600 personnel till now including 11 Officials from #Punjab #Government and 212 #Paramilitary Personnel stranded due to floods along #Chenab, #Ravi &… pic.twitter.com/yZ7zsP9utQ
— Western Command – Indian Army (@westerncomd_IA) August 28, 2025
In the past 24 hours alone, 4 711 persons were evacuated and moved to safer areas. These include 812 from Ferozepur, 2 571 from Gurdaspur, 4 from Moga, 60 from Tarn Taran, 25 from Barnala, and 1 239 from Fazilka.
As of August 28, 77 of the 87 relief camps set up in flood-affected areas remain fully operational, sheltering 4 729 persons.
Nature is sending a warning… excessive wood logs in the Ravi River indicate active wood mafia operations in Himachal Pradesh.
— Go Himachal (@GoHimachal_) August 29, 2025
Visuals from ravi river Chamba. pic.twitter.com/7x3CH0EU1G
According to local officials, 1 018 villages across the state have been affected by flooding. This includes 81 in Pathankot, 52 in Fazilka, 45 in Tarn Taran, 64 in Sri Muktsar Sahib, 22 in Sangrur, 101 in Ferozepur, 107 in Kapurthala, 323 in Gurdaspur, 85 in Hoshiarpur, and 35 in Moga.
Update: Flood Relief Operations
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) August 28, 2025
The #IndianArmy in response to the massive floods in parts of Punjab, has deployed Army Aviation Helicopters for flood relief and rescue operations as part of its #HADR efforts . Displaying selfless commitment and extraordinary flying skills, the… pic.twitter.com/BhXbUB59UP
More than 60 000 ha (148 260 acres) of farmland has been inundated. Reports from district headquarters indicate 16 632 ha (41 102 acres) affected in Fazilka, 10 806 ha (26 701 acres) in Ferozepur, 11 620 ha (28 720 acres) in Kapurthala, 7 000 ha (17 297 acres) in Pathankot, 9 928 ha (24 531 acres) in Tarn Taran, and 5 287 ha (13 063 acres) in Hoshiarpur.
The flooding has been driven by swollen Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, along with seasonal rivulets, following heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Worst-affected villages are located in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, and Amritsar districts.
The Ravi River continues to flow at 13 028 m3/s (460 000 cusecs ), well above the danger level at Dharamkot in Gurdaspur district. Water levels at the Madhopur and Ujh barrages have receded to 1 104 m3/s (39 000 cusecs ) and 218 m3/s (7 700 cusecs), respectively.
Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.
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