Punjab floods: Toll climbs to 55 with two more deaths

Chandigarh: With two more deaths, the toll in the Punjab floods climbed to 55, according to official data.

Relief operations are underway across the state and special measures are being taken to prevent the outbreak of diseases as floodwaters have started receding, officials said on Thursday.

One person each died in Fazilka and Mansa in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of lives lost due to the floods to 55, according to Punjab Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian.

He said 111 relief camps are operational and housing 4,585 people.

Forty more people were evacuated in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of evacuees across the state to 23,337, the minister said.

A total of 2,214 villages have been affected in the state, impacting a population of 3,88,508, he added.

Crops on 1,92,380.05 hectares of land have been damaged in 18 districts, Mundian said.

Eight National Disaster Response Force teams, two State Disaster Response Force teams, 14 Army columns and two Engineer Task Force teams are deployed in affected regions.

Special measures are being taken to prevent outbreak of diseases as floodwaters have started receding in several areas, the officials said.

The entire staff of health, veterinary and other concerned departments has been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of residents, they said.

Fogging machines are being deployed extensively to mitigate the spread of malaria and other diseases, and regular medical camps are being organised.

Veterinary teams are attending to animals in the field as part of treatment and vaccination drives.

Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains reviewed the damage caused by floods in Rupnagar with Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia.

He said a special 'girdawari' (loss assessment) has already been completed in 50 per cent of the affected areas. Relief operations are continuing at full pace, he added.

All rural roads have been made operational to ensure uninterrupted connectivity. District administrations remain fully vigilant, with relief and rescue teams deployed across affected areas, Bains said.

Health Minister Balbir Singh visited several flood-affected villages, including Dehriewal Kiran, Ransike Tilla, Khushhalpur, Ratta and Shahpur Jajan, in Gurdaspur district.

Singh personally distributed cheques of Rs 50,000 each to the affected families with the support of his colleagues.

Similarly, Social Security Minister Baljit Kaur extended immediate financial assistance to families in Malout whose houses were damaged due to heavy rainfall.

She said she has been continuously present in Malout city and adjoining villages, monitoring the ground situation.

Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar distributed fodder for livestock to flood-hit families across villages of Patti constituency. He also visited a relief camp in Bhaowal village.

Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak distributed relief material to families in Sehora village of Bhoa constituency. Each family received two folding cots, two mattresses, one gas cylinder and a mosquito net.

Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal inspected the situation at the Ghaggar river near the Tohana bridge at Makraur Sahib and Moonak.

After many days of concern, water levels have finally started receding, which is a matter of relief for residents, he said.

Meanwhile, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond appealed to panchayats to extend support to relief and rehabilitation efforts in flood-affected villages.

He said several villages have been severely impacted by the recent floods, necessitating immediate relief measures.

Urgent actions such as clearing accumulated silt and carcasses of animals, as well as repairing damaged panchayat infrastructure, are the need of the hour.

Highlighting that many panchayats possess substantial funds in the form of fixed deposits, received as compensation for land acquisition, Sond urged them to contribute a portion of these.