Chandigarh: All 23 districts of Punjab have been hit by floods, prompting the state government to declare the entire state as disaster-affected. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has cancelled the holidays of all government employees and extended the closure of schools and colleges till September 7. He has also called a cabinet meeting on September 5 to review the situation.
Floods triggered by the overflow of the Sutlej, Ghaggar and Ravi rivers have worsened conditions in several districts, including Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Patiala. A portion of the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway collapsed near Subhanpur-Dhilwan, disrupting traffic.
In Jalandhar, water entered nearly 30 villages due to the Sutlej’s overflow, while two people died in Barnala following the collapse of a house. Villagers in many areas are working to strengthen embankments as the administration, Army and NDRF carry out relief and rescue operations.
Deputy Commissioners of Patiala, Barnala, Fazilka and Nawanshahr have issued alerts, and Army assistance has been sought to manage the crisis.
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan took to social media to pray for the well-being of flood victims, while AAP MP Raghav Chadha has released ₹3.25 crore from his MP fund for relief efforts.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are scheduled to visit Punjab on Thursday, September 4, to take stock of the situation.
