Over 1,400 villages and more than 2.5 lakh acres of farmland flooded, ~3.54 million residents affected, 20,000 rescued.
In August 2025, around 1400 villages in more than 23 districts of Punjab, India faced a devastating flood crisis, regarded as the worst in nearly four decades since 1988.[3][4][5] The floods, caused by unusually heavy monsoon rains in the upper catchment areas (particularly Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir), along with surplus water releases from several dams — notably Pong, Ranjit Sagar, and Bhakra — which intensified flooding in downstream districts, particularly along the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers.[6][7][8][9][10]
The severely affected districts of Punjab were Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Kapurthala and Fazilka. Other districts like Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Rupnagar, Moga, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala and SAS Nagar (Mohali) also been heavily impacted by the floods suffering crop damage, displacement, and infrastructure loss.[11]
Over 1,400 villages across Punjab were inundated, and more than 3,71,475 acres of farmland were submerged, particularly in districts such as Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Amritsar and Barnala.[17][18][19][20] The floods affected approximately 3.5 lakh residents in the state with more than 29 dead,[21][22] prompting large-scale evacuations, widespread disruption and school closures.[23][24] About 30 km of fencing along the zero line on the Indo-Pak international border has been damaged. The BSF post near the Kartarpur Corridor is submerged, and BSF personnel have temporarily relocated to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Dera Baba Nanak.[25][26]
Response and Relief Efforts
Rescue operations
Locals, Rest of Panjab, NGOs, Panjabi NRIs, Punjabi and Bollywood Celebrities, National and state-level agencies — NDRF, SDRF, Army, BSF, and authorities—mounted extensive rescue operations. In Gurdaspur, the Army evacuated 27 individuals via helicopter airlift from Lassian.[27] Around 11,330 persons were evacuated to safer places with the combined efforts of the Army, NDRF, BSF and the district authorities.[28] Drones were deployed to deliver medicines and food in remote areas, and amphibious vehicles facilitated evacuations in Ramdas, Amritsar.[29] Relief camps provided shelter to thousands of displaced residents.[30]
Civil and humanitarian involvement — Khalsa Aid, Global Sikhs and The Kalgidhar Trust organisations initiated large-scale relief operations in districts like Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, and Abohar, delivering essentials such as drinking water, ration, medical aid, and fodder for livestock.[31][32] Political parties and local leaders were also active: the Aam Aadmi Party's youth and women wings distributed food and supplies, while the Rural Development Minister sent cattle feed to farmers in Fazilka.[33][34][35]
Government action and emergency measures
Schools across Punjab were closed from August 27–30 and later this closure was extended along with colleges upto September 7, 2025 as a safety precaution.[36][37][38] The state government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, conducted aerial surveys and ordered a special girdawari (damage assessment), promising full compensation for flood-related losses.[39][40][41][42]
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