Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann assures to compensate every flood-hit individual

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

With the Beas River flowing in heavy spate at 1.12 lakh cusecs, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday carried out both an aerial and ground survey of the flood-hit areas in Sultanpur Lodhi of Kapurthala district. The overflowing river has caused large-scale destruction in several parts of Punjab, leaving behind damaged houses, crops, and cattle losses, Hindustan Times reported.

Mann flew over the swollen Beas River and Harike Headworks in a helicopter to take stock of the situation and later met affected families and farmers on the ground. He assured them that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government would provide adequate compensation to all those who had suffered losses.

“Incessant rainfall in the catchment areas led to this situation in the state. The state government is committed to bail out the affected people from this hour of crisis,” said Mann, adding that he was regularly monitoring the situation in the state due to the natural disaster.

ਅੱਜ ਸੁਲਤਾਨਪੁਰ ਲੋਧੀ ਦੇ ਹੜ੍ਹ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵਿਤ ਇਲਾਕਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਦੌਰਾ ਕੀਤਾ। ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਦੁੱਖ-ਤਕਲੀਫ਼ਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸੁਣਿਆ। ਪਾਣੀ ਨੇ ਇਨਸਾਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ-ਨਾਲ ਬੇਜ਼ੁਬਾਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਕਾਫੀ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵਿਤ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ। ਸਮਾਂ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਿਲ ਜ਼ਰੂਰ ਹੈ ਪਰ ਆਪਾਂ ਸਾਰਿਆਂ ਨੇ ਇੱਕ ਦੂਜੇ ਦੇ ਸਾਥ ਨਾਲ ਰਲ਼ ਮਿਲ ਕੇ ਲੰਘਾਉਣਾ ਹੈ। ਕੁਦਰਤ ਦੀ ਮਾਰ ਹੇਠ ਆਏ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ… pic.twitter.com/ondxllHRLE

— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) August 22, 2025

“We have already ordered a special girdawari (official crop loss assessment) to ascertain the loss incurred to people due to floods in the state. The officers have been directed to ensure that the process is done in a fair manner so that people are duly compensated for their loss,” HT quoted Mann as saying.

To prevent such destruction in the future, Mann said the irrigation and drainage department had been asked to prepare a detailed plan to manage floods better. “Departments are working on long-term strategies to minimise losses from natural disasters like these floods,” he added.

Deputy commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal and officials of the water resources department briefed the chief minister about the situation and the relief efforts underway. While meeting farmers, Mann shared that he understood their pain, as he himself belonged to the Ghaggar belt that has faced repeated floods in the past. “I know the social and economic burden floods bring to farmers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the strong water currents of the Beas River damaged the advanced bundh (embankment) in Ahaali Kalan village, forcing locals to step in and take preventive measures to stop further flooding. Over the past few weeks, heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have increased the flow of water in both the Beas and Sutlej rivers, worsening the situation.

The worst-affected areas in Punjab include Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district, Tanda in Hoshiarpur, and several villages in Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Tarn Taran.

During the visit, Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal raised the demand for crop compensation to be given directly to cultivators rather than landowners. “Currently, compensation goes to landowners, but since most land is leased, actual cultivators face double losses,” he explained. He pointed out that paddy crops sown on leased land had been destroyed after water stagnated in fields for almost two weeks.

Seechewal urged that compensation be paid before the next Rabi crop is sown, so that farmers already under financial stress can recover and continue farming without further hardship.