Punjab floods: Sutlej inundates 50 border villages, over 200 evacuated

Punjab flood

The swollen Sutlej River has once again wreaked havoc in Punjab, flooding dozens of villages and forcing families to flee their homes.

According to the officials, nearly 35 villages in Ferozepur district and around 20 in Fazilka have been inundated, plunging both border regions into a severe crisis, Hindustan Times reported.

A major breach measuring about 30 feet was reported on Tuesday in the defence drain near the border village of Gatti Rajoke, located 14 km from Ferozepur.

The gushing waters flooded farmlands in Gatti Rajoke, Bhakhra, and Hazara Singh Wala, leaving fields completely submerged under water.

However, the houses in these areas remain safe, but residents fear the situation could worsen if water levels keep rising.

Another crack was reported near the Hazara Singh Wala bridge, which serves as a vital connection for several villages in the border belt. Repair work has already begun.

Meanwhile, concerns also loom over the national martyrs’ memorial of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev at Hussainiwala, which was submerged during the 2023 floods. The light-and-sound show system suffered heavy damage then, remaining closed for nearly two years.

In Kaluwala village, residents are trapped as Sutlej waters have surrounded their homes. In Mallanwala block, villages including Dheera Ghara, Alewala, Kutbuddinwala, Fattewala, Nihala Lavera, and Talli Gulam are under water.

Roads look like streams, crops are gone, and many families have been forced to leave their homes in search of shelter with relatives or in government relief camps.

The water level in the Sutlej surged sharply on Tuesday. At Hussainiwala Headworks, the discharge jumped from 1.3 lakh cusecs on Monday evening to 2.4 lakh cusecs by Tuesday evening.

At Harike Headworks, 2.6 lakh cusecs of water have been released, and officials say another 20,000 cusecs will flow by Wednesday.

To manage the massive outflow, all 24 gates at Hussainiwala have been opened, which has sent water downstream into Pakistan through Fazilka.

“Leaving home is heartbreaking, but we had no choice. Our crops are gone. The wounds of last year’s floods had not even healed, and now the same tragedy has struck again,” HT quoted Sinder Kaur of Fattewala village as saying.

Ferozepur deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma confirmed that relief operations are being carried out alongside repair work. “Over 200 residents from border villages have been shifted to relief camps with all necessary facilities,” she said, adding that no breach has occurred in the dhussi embankment and repair work near Hazara Singh Wala bridge is under senior engineers’ supervision. Administrative teams are on round-the-clock monitoring.

In Fazilka, deputy commissioner Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu has issued an alert to all creek-side villages. She said vulnerable families are being evacuated on priority, with special focus on children, women, and the elderly. So far, five relief centres have been set up to shelter displaced families.

Health teams have also stepped in, identifying 45 pregnant women across affected villages and ensuring timely relocation.

In the last week alone, four childbirths have taken place, three in government hospitals and one in a private hospital.