Punjab is a land of rivers. But the floods of this year are not purely natural events

For the past several days, Punjab has been experiencing a severe flood crisis. The relentless downpour in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh and the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir has led to an overflow in the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi perennial rivers, and the seasonal Ghaggar river, triggering catastrophic flooding in all the 23 districts of Punjab. Incessant rain in the state in the past couple of days has further worsened the situation.

Since August 1, 43 deaths have been reported due to the floods. More than 1,902 villages have been hit, 4.37 lakh (0.437 million) acres of standing crops have been submerged, and 384,000 people have been affected. More than 20,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying and severely affected areas. In response to this dire situation, the Punjab government has declared a state of emergency and decided to keep all educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities, closed till September 7.

In Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts, the situation has worsened to the extent that dozens of people have been airlifted to safer places. A large number of permanent and temporary embankments built on the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers have collapsed under the pressure of the strong water flow. As the flood situation worsens, people are starting to leave their homes and move to safer locations. On August 28, as much as 95,000 cusecs, 74,000 cusecs, and 50,000 cusecs of water were released from Bhakra, Pong, and Ranjit Sagar dams, respectively. With the massive release of water from the dams, numerous villages, towns, and schools in Punjab have been submerged.

Punjab is the land of rivers. Floods in riverine regions are a natural occurrence. Therefore, floods in Punjab are neither a new phenomenon nor something unusual. The unfortunate part, however, is that neither the floods of this year nor those of 2023 were purely natural events. Behind these floods lie human activities and excessive interference with nature. Two years ago, in 2023, Punjab was also severely affected by floods, which impacted 1,400 villages across 18 districts. Similar to this year, the floods of 2023 were not caused by heavy rainfall in Punjab itself, but rather by heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh and the excessive release of water from the dams. Thus, the floods in Punjab are not just natural disasters; they are tragedies caused by human actions.

The sudden floods in Punjab can be attributed mainly to the unplanned economic growth in both Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. This growth, aimed at facilitating economic progress, has led to reckless deforestation in hilly and plain areas, the construction of large dams on rivers, encroachments on riverbeds, seasonal rivulets, drainage channels, ponds, and other water bodies, and negligence in the maintenance of water resources. These factors have all contributed to the present crisis, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable development and environmental protection.

Let us begin with the discussion on unplanned development with the dams constructed on rivers. Before partition, Punjab had five rivers, but at present only two and a half rivers — Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi — flow through Punjab. On these rivers, the Bhakra, Pong, and Ranjit Sagar dams have been constructed, respectively. Generally, most of the river water is collected in these dams, which is first used to generate hydroelectric power. Later, the water is released into canals to meet agricultural irrigation needs, drinking water requirements, industrial demands, and other uses. The management of these dams usually stores water within their capacity and releases the excess flow back into the rivers. However, during the rainy season, when the inflow exceeds the storage capacity, excess water is discharged directly into the rivers to protect the dams, resulting in floods in the plains.

The Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river is the second-tallest in the world. It stores a massive amount of the Sutlej’s water. As a result, for most of the year, the river flows with minimal water, leaving its riverbed empty and dry. People have encroached upon this empty riverbed, using parts of it for farming, while others have built houses and huts. During the monsoon, when heavy rainfall causes the reservoir to exceed its capacity, the dam management opens the floodgates. Consequently, houses, huts, and crops on the riverbed are destroyed by flooding. Such encroachments also obstruct the natural flow of water, raising its level and causing it to spill over into villages and towns along the riverbanks, resulting in significant damage. Villages situated on riverbanks are repeatedly suffering losses due to such floods.

Floods in the state are also aggravated by the lack of timely maintenance of drains, seasonal streams, rivulets, and embankments meant to carry excess rainwater. On the Ravi and Beas rivers, about half a dozen embankments collapsed, including the Dhussi embankment, the one near Sultanpur Lodhi, and another near Narot Jaimal Singh on the Ravi river. When dam floodgates are suddenly opened, a massive volume of water rushes into drains, canals, or distributaries. Weak embankments often collapse under pressure, leading to flooding. Furthermore, the deposition of silt in seasonal streams and rivulets reduces their capacity to carry water. According to a 2020 report by the Punjab Government’s Mines and Geology Department, the failure to desilt rivers, streams, and drains on time led to the excessive accumulation of silt, sand, and gravel, which was a significant contributing factor to the 2019 floods in Punjab.

Like in other states, floods in Punjab are also occurring due to constructions in the flow areas of seasonal streams and choe (seasonal rivulet). All phases of the Urban Estate in Patiala are built in the choe area, which falls under the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority. This raises an important question: if the Planning and Development Authority itself allows housing construction in the choe area, then who should be held accountable for the planning done by ordinary people?

One of the causes of flooding in Punjab is the widespread plantation of the paddy (rice) crop. This crop requires continuous standing water (flood irrigation). However, crops suitable to Punjab’s agro-climatic conditions, such as cotton and maize, do not require excessive irrigation. During days of heavy rainfall, land under such crops absorbs the excess water, while paddy fields, due to their puddled and compacted soil for flood irrigation, do not absorb water.

It is important to note here that our ancestors were very wise. They built houses on higher places. After rainfall, excess water was naturally collected in ponds and other low-lying areas, which helped prevent floods. Nowadays, people have filled up ponds and other low-lying areas to construct houses and other buildings. As a result, rainwater now accumulates in some very low-lying areas, leading to floods.

According to a report released on February 20, 2023, by the Cross Dependency Initiative, Punjab is among the top 50 regions in the world where climate change is expected to cause the maximum damage to human-made infrastructure. Keeping such international reports in mind, both state and central governments should make advanced preparations to mitigate the impact of natural disasters. The Punjab government should strictly ban all kinds of construction and land use in the floodplains of rivers, streams, seasonal drains, and channels. Regular desilting and maintenance of these water bodies should be ensured. Proper attention should also be given to cleaning and desilting old seasonal drains, ponds, and other similar areas. Wherever possible, filled-up ponds should be restored. In cities and villages, where rainwater collects in low-lying areas, recharge wells should be constructed to allow the water to seep underground before it becomes a flood. Before granting permission for any kind of construction (houses or other buildings), arrangements for rainwater harvesting should be made mandatory. There should be a joint inter-state management between Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab; upstream dam releases are a direct lifeline or a death knell for the downstream state. The central government should also ensure remunerative Minimum Support Prices for crops that are suitable for Punjab’s agro-climatic conditions as an alternative to the paddy crop. Moreover, strengthening disaster preparedness from early warning systems and evacuation drills to proper compensation for affected farmers is no longer a choice but a necessity. 

Gurinder Kaur is Former Professor, Department of Geography, Punjabi University, Patiala

Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth