Sutlej’s Fury: Villages Turn to Islands as Punjab Battles Fresh Monsoon Onslaught

Sutlej’s Fury: Villages Turn to Islands as Punjab Battles Fresh Monsoon Onslaught
CHANDIGARH – The Sutlej river, swollen by a relentless monsoon barrage, has once again breached its banks, submerging dozens of villages in the border districts of Punjab and forcing thousands into a desperate race for safety. The fresh deluge has turned vast agricultural fields into lakes and cut off key roadways, prompting the deployment of Army and NDRF teams for large-scale rescue operations.

The worst-affected areas lie in the Ferozepur and Fazilka districts, where a breach near the Indo-Pak border has allowed floodwaters to inundate over 50 villages. Harrowing visuals show entire hamlets marooned, with only rooftops visible above the murky water. Rescue teams are working around the clock, using inflatable boats to evacuate stranded residents, many of whom were caught completely off guard by the rapidly rising water levels.

NDRF teams evacuate villagers from a submerged area in Ferozepur district after the Sutlej river breached its banks.

“We heard the warnings, but the water came faster than anyone imagined,” said Balwinder Singh, a resident of a village near Ferozepur, now housed in a government relief camp. “We have lost our crops, our homes. Everything is gone.”
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s office has stated that the situation is being monitored at the highest level, with emergency relief funds being disbursed to the affected districts. Helicopters from the Indian Air Force have been put on standby for air-dropping food packets and essential supplies to areas that have become inaccessible by boat.
This recent wave of floods compounds the misery for a state still recovering from the devastating floods earlier this monsoon season. Agricultural experts are warning of catastrophic losses to the paddy crop, a staple of the region’s economy. As meteorological forecasts predict more rain in the coming days, a high alert remains in place, with authorities urging citizens in low-lying areas along the Sutlej and Beas river basins to evacuate to safer locations immediately.