Punjab is currently facing its worst flood crisis in nearly four decades. More than 1,900 villages have been submerged, around 300,000 acres of agricultural land lie under water, over 50 people have lost their lives, and lakhs people have been directly affected. These floods are considered the most devastating since those of 1988. Although they are being dismissed as a mere natural disaster, it is important to recognise how human errors at the level of government, dam management, and structural planning have contributed to Punjab’s dire situation today. Social media is flooded with visuals of the devastation, and many are calling on people to pray for Punjab. While ardas, or prayers, can provide courage and healing for many, they must be accompanied by pressing questions directed at the state.
In this dire situation, the first question to ask is why not even a single flood-control dam has been built in Punjab or Himachal Pradesh. It is worth noting that all the dams surrounding Punjab, including Ranjit Sagar, Bhakra and Pong, were constructed primarily as reservoirs for canal water and for power generation and these dams do not have the capacity to withstand floods. During the floods, it becomes very difficult to release water even in the canals. While the impact of floods can be controlled to a certain level through dam management, such dams cannot prevent flooding altogether. The Addicks and Barker Dams in the United States and Asuwa River Detention Dam in Japan are examples where the dams are exclusively constructed solely to prevent the floods in the region.
Considering the trends of recent years, flood control dams and smaller dams should be built on the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, and Ghaggar rivers. These would help reduce the pressure on large dams like Ranjit Sagar, Pong and Bhakra, as well as on smaller headworks. The sudden release of water from large dams brings devastation to the rivers and communities downstream. Despite this recurring threat, the state has not developed any separate structural plan for flood-control dams that could have helped mitigate this crisis.
The second question is why no there is no updated disaster management plan in Punjab. It has been found on the website of State Disaster Management Authority, Punjab that the latest plan for the state is from 2011. Similarly, there are plans for districts that too are not updated. This is a clear violation of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. This is very critical aspect since these plans are based on local circumstances which helps to mitigate with any disaster. But if there are no updated data and plans, how can any authority effective prevent the loss?
The third question is about data availability. According to Section 35(e) of the Dam Safety Act, 2021, it is mandatory to make public information regarding the water level in dams, the opening of gates, and the data matrix related to inflow and outflow. However, regular bulletins have not been issued in this regard. It is also worth noting that during the 2023 floods, such data was made available and later examined by social activists, who found several irregularities in the release of water from the Bhakra and Pong dams. This year, however, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has withheld this data without providing any explanation.
The fourth question, which is connected to the previous one, is why the Punjab government did not provide regular bulletins or press briefings on crucial information such as dam inflow and outflow, current water levels in dams and rivers, lives lost due to floods, damage to property, the condition of affected villages, and rainfall forecasts for the coming days. Even at present, most information is coming through private channels, newspapers, activists, and social media, rather than official sources.
Although some ministers, members of the Legislative Assembly, and district- or state-level officers occasionally post isolated updates or reels on social media, there should have been a centralised platform managed by the government to provide consistent and accurate information for the entire state. A precedent for this exists: During the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, Luv Agarwal, Joint Secretary of the Union Ministry of Health, gave daily briefings to keep the public informed. Similarly, in the current situation, a minister or senior bureaucrat from the Punjab government should be addressing the people of Punjab and the media through daily press briefings.
The fifth concern relates to Punjab’s participation in the BBMB, which was reduced by the central government through the Dam Safety Act, 2021, and other provisions, despite strong opposition from the people of Punjab, particularly farmers. Many had warned that this reduction in representation would create further problems for the state. In 2023, when water levels in the Bhakra and Pong dams rose significantly, the release of water was delayed. Eventually, when water was discharged all at once, it caused rivers downstream to swell suddenly, leading to widespread damage. Since the functioning of BBMB directly affects Punjab, the state’s representation in the board should be increased. Another pressing issue is the severe shortage of human resources in BBMB. As of March 31, 2023, more than 50 per cent of the posts remained vacant, undermining the efficiency of dam management.
The details of human resources in BBMB are as follows:
Group | Sanctioned Post | Working | Vacant Posts |
A and B | 2269 | 1210 | 1059 |
C | 5060 | 2130 | 2930 |
D | 4742 | 2377 | 2365 |
Total | 12071 | 5717 | 6354 |
| Source – Annual Report, BBMB, 2022-23 | |||
The sixth question is directed to the irrigation minister of Punjab who, while responding to questions in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on July 14, repeatedly asserted that there was no threat of flooding in Punjab. According to him, all the dams in the state were safe and their water levels were within adequate limits. If that were true, then why is Punjab facing such large-scale devastation today?
The irrigation minister had compared the dam water levels of 2023 with those of the same period in previous years. However, with climate change now an undeniable reality, it is deeply flawed to assume that past patterns of 2023 will continue unchanged this year as well. Despite this, the minister once again repeated on July 29 that there was no risk of flooding, giving people a false sense of security. By that time, the meteorological department had already warned that Himachal Pradesh would receive heavier-than-usual rainfall. His statement, therefore, had no rational basis, and people were left to face disaster without any preparation.
In these circumstances, the seventh legitimate question is why this disaster has still not been declared a national disaster. With more than 1,500 villages submerged, lakhs of acres of crops destroyed, and thousands of families rendered homeless, it clearly warrants such a declaration. The devastation is not limited to financial losses alone, it is also being neglected by both the central government and much of the national media, which have failed to give it the attention it urgently deserves.
Floods of some kind occur in Punjab almost every year. In this context, the next question is why the Punjab government has failed to ensure that canals, streams, and other water bodies are properly cleaned and maintained. Illegal mining continues unchecked around rivers, further worsening the problem. Not only must illegal mining be stopped in areas adjacent to rivers, but even legal mining in these regions should be reconsidered and rationalised. Tampering with the natural flow of rivers is costing us heavily. The natural courses of rivers should be restored and simplified, not obstructed. Proper cleaning of canals and drains is a basic precautionary measure, yet it was completely overlooked in the state’s preparations.
Floods bring difficult times, but the period after the floods is often even more challenging. It is almost certain that the current paddy crop in these areas, spread across nearly 300,000 acres, has been destroyed. This is a matter of grave concern not only for the farmers but also for India’s food security and agricultural exports. Beyond the present crop, there is a high likelihood that the next wheat season will also be affected in these regions due to heavy deposits of sand, sediments, and persistent waterlogging in the fields. Farmers should be allowed to extract the sand from their land and sell it as they see fit, both to recover some losses and to make their fields cultivable again.
Wheat is a staple food in Punjab, and the inability to grow it would have severe consequences for the region. It is worth noting that Punjab does not have a comprehensive crop insurance scheme. Currently, farmers receive only Rs 15,000 per acre for 75-100 per cent crop loss and Rs 6,800 per acre for 33-75 per cent crop loss, and some amount from state government, which is far below current leasing rates and minimum support price calculations. The Punjab government has requested the central government to provide Rs 50,000 per acre in compensation, and this amount should not be reduced further.
Farmers in flood-affected areas must be given adequate compensation, but non-farming families should not be overlooked. Landless labourers, daily-wage workers, and village artisans often have a lower socio-economic status than farmers, and they must receive categorical compensation. The government should ensure full compensation for all losses, big or small, with the support of village panchayats and urban local bodies.
The central government has already withheld many funds for Punjab. While these previously stopped funds should be released immediately, a special relief package must also be provided for the current floods. The worst-affected areas are mostly those bordering Pakistan, where people are already living under significant uncertainty. The current situation indicates that this disaster was not purely natural, but also a result of human negligence and government failure. Now, instead of shirking their responsibilities, the people demand truth, transparency, and justice.
Harinder is a PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Nishtha is a Master’s student at SOAS, University of London, UK.
Views expressed are the authors’ own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth