Punjab reeling under worst floods; crop devastation in 175,216 hectares: Minister

Chandigarh, Sep 3 (IANS) Punjab Revenue Minister Hardeep Mundian on Wednesday said the state is reeling under one of the worst floods in recent decades, with widespread crop devastation reported in 175,216 hectares.

He said 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.

Giving details of relief operations, Mundian said over 20,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying and severely affected areas. Major evacuations were carried out in Gurdaspur (5,581 people), followed by Ferozepur (3,495), Amritsar (2,734), Fazilka (2,422), Hoshiarpur (1,615), Kapurthala (1,428), Pathankot (1,139), Barnala (369), Jalandhar (474), Mansa (16), Rupnagar (65), Moga (115) and Tarn Taran (21).

To accommodate the displaced, 167 relief camps have been established across the state, which include 29 camps in Barnala, 26 in Patiala, 23 in SBS Nagar, 11 each in Fazilka and Jalandhar, 16 in Amritsar, 14 in Pathankot, 13 in Gurdaspur, eight in Ferozepur, five in Hoshiarpur, three in Rupnagar, four in Kapurthala, two in Moga and one each in Mansa and Sangrur. In these camps, 5,304 people are currently sheltered.

The largest numbers are housed in Fazilka (1,468), Hoshiarpur (1,041), 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 said 1,655 villages have been inundated, affecting a population of 355,709. He said 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 (seven), Mohali (13) and Moga (29). The minister said 355,709 people have been affected, with Amritsar (117,534), Gurdaspur (145,000), Ferozepur (39,076) and Fazilka (21,562) among the worst hit. Other districts reporting impact include Pathankot (15,053), Kapurthala (5,728), Mohali (7,000), Hoshiarpur (1,966) and Jalandhar (991), while smaller numbers were reported in Barnala (476), Moga (800), Rupnagar (300), Mansa (163) and Tarn Taran (60).

Divulging damages on the agricultural front, the minister said that 175,216 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), Fazilka (17,786), Ferozepur (17,620), Kapurthala (14,934), Tarn Taran (12,828), Sangrur (6,560), Hoshiarpur (5,971), Pathankot (2,442), Jalandhar (3,000), Mohali (2,000), Moga (2,240), Patiala (600), Bathinda (586), Rupnagar (300), SBS Nagar (181) and Ludhiana (32).

--IANS

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