Punjab floods: 15,688 persons evacuated
Chandigarh: Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Monday said that as per reports from districts, a total of 15,688 persons have been evacuated so far from flood-hit areas of the state.
Major evacuations were reported from Gurdaspur (5,549), Ferozepur (3,321), Fazilka (2,049), Pathankot (1,139), Amritsar (1,700) and Hoshiarpur (1,052), besides Barnala (25), Kapurthala (515), Tarn Taran (60), Moga (115) and Mansa (163).
Mundian said 129 relief camps have been set up across Punjab, including 16 in Amritsar, 10 in Fazilka, 8 in Ferozepur, 25 in Gurdaspur, 20 in Hoshiarpur, 14 in Pathankot and 20 in Patiala. Currently, 7,144 persons are sheltered in these camps, the highest in Ferozepur (3,987) followed by Fazilka (1,201), Hoshiarpur (478), Pathankot (411), Gurdaspur (424), Amritsar (170), Mansa (163), Moga (115), Kapurthala (110), Sangrur (60) and Barnala (25).
The minister said 1,044 villages across 12 districts have been affected, impacting 2,56,107 people. Gurdaspur tops the list with 1,45,000 affected, followed by Amritsar (35,000), Ferozepur (24,015), Fazilka (21,562) and Pathankot (15,053). Other affected districts include SAS Nagar (7,000), Kapurthala (5,650), Hoshiarpur (1,152), Jalandhar (653), Moga (800), Mansa (163) and Barnala (59).
On deployment of forces, Mundian said the NDRF has deployed 20 teams, while the Air Force, Navy and Army have sent 10 columns with 8 on standby, 2 engineer columns and 35 helicopters. BSF units are also on the ground, while 114 boats and one state helicopter are engaged in rescue.
He confirmed 29 lives lost across 12 districts between August 1 and September 1, including six in Pathankot, three each in Amritsar, Barnala, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Mansa, among others. Three persons remain missing in Pathankot.
The minister said floods have damaged 94,061 hectares of crops, with Amritsar (23,000 ha), Mansa (17,005 ha) and Kapurthala (14,934 ha) the worst hit. He added that “loss of livestock and infrastructure cannot be assessed as of now; actual picture will be presented once the flood recedes.”
