Punjab is battling severe flooding, with more than 1,000 villages submerged across key districts including Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Amritsar, and Tarn Taran. The Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, and Ghaggar rivers are all flowing at dangerous levels, raising fears reminiscent of the 1988 floods, one of the most devastating disasters in the state’s history.

The 1988 floods: 

In September 1988, heavy rains across north India and Himachal Pradesh caused rivers in Punjab to overflow. The Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej and Pong Dam on the Beas had to release huge amounts of water, worsening flooding downstream. Weak embankments and breaches led to uncontrolled water flow in rural and semi-urban areas.

Cities and towns like Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Amritsar, and Patiala were badly hit. Official reports noted over 600 deaths and more than 1 million people left homeless. Crops including paddy, cotton, sugarcane, and maize were destroyed across hundreds of thousands of acres, causing major losses to Punjab’s agrarian economy.

Bridges, roads, railway lines, and electricity networks were severely damaged. The Army, Air Force, and BSF were deployed for rescue, and temporary relief camps were set up, though overcrowding and poor sanitation led to disease outbreaks. Then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited the state and promised full central support, while international agencies also assisted in relief efforts.

2025 floods: Echoes of the past

Residents say the current flooding feels worse than 1988. Manpreet Singh, a resident of Amritsar, said,
"I was a young boy during the 1988 floods and still remember the devastation. However, this time the situation is far worse, with over two dozen villages submerged."

Ludhiana Municipal Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal added, "It has been raining continuously since morning and there has been waterlogging in low-lying areas. Our teams have been deployed and pumps and engines have been set up to flush out the water… I have been in Punjab for the last 10 years and I have never seen so much rain. Even the MLA said that the last time it rained so heavily was in 1988."

Eco-warrior and Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal remarked, "This year’s flood in Punjab has been the worst since 1988 and broken all records." He noted that on August 26, the Ravi River flow reached 14.11 lakh cusecs, surpassing the 1988 peak of 11.20 lakh cusecs, and the Beas River flow rose between 2.5 to 3 lakh cusecs.

Extent of damage in 2025

  • 1,000+ villages submerged across several districts.

  • 61,000 hectares (150,000 acres) of farmland flooded, mostly paddy fields.

  • Around 1.46 million people displaced, with at least 29 deaths reported.

  • All schools in Punjab closed until at least September 3.

The NDRF, SDRF, Army, BSF, and local authorities are working together using boats, drones, and amphibious vehicles for rescue. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has formed a three-member panel to monitor relief efforts.

The state government has requested that the Union government release Rs 60,000 crore in pending funds and increase compensation for farmers from Rs 6,800 to Rs 50,000 per acre.

Rains continue, and water levels in all four rivers remain dangerously high. Authorities and citizens alike are hoping for relief, but the scale of the disaster underscores the urgent need for preparation and coordinated response.

You might also be interested in - Massive floods hit several states in India: red alert across Himachal, Punjab, Rajasthan, J&K