85% of Punjab’s flood-hit population in 7 of 23 districts

These districts alone account for 3.29 lakh of the 3.87 lakh people impacted across the state, making them the epicentre of the ongoing crisis.

Punjab is grappling with its most devastating floods in nearly four decades, as all 23 districts of the state have been declared disaster-hit. However, seven districts — Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Pathankot — have borne the brunt of the calamity, with 85% of the total flood-affected population residing in these areas, according to the office of director, land records, Jalandhar, a nodal agency managing state’s flood control room.

Residents at a flood-affected area in Ajnala, Amritsar. (PTI)

These districts alone account for 3.29 lakh of the 3.87 lakh people impacted across the state, making them the epicentre of the ongoing crisis.

Gurdaspur and Amritsar are the worst hit, with 1.45 lakh and 1.36 lakh people affected, respectively. Ferozepur saw 38,614 people impacted, while Fazilka had 24,930 people affected. Pathankot and Kapurthala recorded 15,503 and 5,728 people affected, respectively, and Hoshiarpur saw 2,476 people impacted, according to the data released by the control room.

These seven districts have also recorded 75% of the total agricultural damage across the state, with 3.25 lakh acres of land affected out of 4.31 lakh acres statewide. Gurdaspur suffered the most severe crop damage, with 99,259 acres submerged, followed by Amritsar (67,098 acres) and Fazilka (46,082 acres), the data says.

Of the 1,996 villages impacted by the floods, 329 are in Gurdaspur, 195 in Amritsar, and 173 in Hoshiarpur, along with substantial damages in other affected areas. The state’s flood control office, led by the Director of Land Records in Jalandhar, is providing daily updates on the extent of agricultural and livestock damage, along with evacuation and recovery efforts.