Punjab: 200 evacuated, relief camps set up as Sutlej floods border villages in Ferozepur, Fazilka

Around 35 villages in Ferozepur district and 20 in Fazilka have been inundated; tn the past 24 hours, Sutlej water levels have surged alarmingly, say officials

The swollen Sutlej continued to unleash havoc, inundating nearly 35 villages in Ferozepur district and around 20 in Fazilka, plunging both border regions into crisis.

An inundated village in Ferozepur on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, a 30-foot breach occurred in the defence drain near border village Gatti Rajoke, 14 km from Ferozepur, flooding farmlands of Gatti Rajoke, Bhakhra, and Hazara Singh Wala. While houses remain safe for now, agricultural fields are completely submerged.

Another crack was reported near the Hazara Singh Wala bridge, a crucial link for several border villages. Officials have begun repairs, but residents fear any further breach could cut them off from Ferozepur.

Meanwhile, concerns also loom over the national martyrs’ memorial of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev at Hussainiwala, which was submerged during the 2023 floods. The light-and-sound show system suffered heavy damage then, remaining closed for nearly two years.

The border village, Kaluwala, remains encircled by Sutlej floodwaters, with water entering several homes. In Mallanwala, villages such as Dheera Ghara, Alewala, Kutbuddinwala, Fattewala, Nihala Lavera, and Talli Gulam are inundated. Crops and houses are submerged, roads resemble streams, and families are being forced to abandon homes for safer areas or relatives’ shelters.

In the past 24 hours, Sutlej water levels have surged alarmingly. At Hussainiwala Headworks, discharge rose from 1.3 lakh cusecs on Monday evening to 2.4 lakh cusecs by Tuesday evening. At Harike Headworks, 2.6 lakh cusecs of water was released, with another 20,000 cusecs expected by Wednesday morning. To manage the outflow, all 24 gates at Hussainiwala have been opened, pushing water downstream into Pakistan through Fazilka.

“Leaving home is heartbreaking, but we had no choice,” said Sinder Kaur of Fattewala village. “Our crops are gone. The wounds of last year’s floods had not even healed, and now the same tragedy has struck again.”

Ferozepur deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma confirmed that while the Sutlej is rising steadily, relief operations are in progress. “Over 200 residents from border villages have been shifted to relief camps with all necessary facilities,” she said, adding that no breach has occurred in the dhussi embankment and repair work near Hazara Singh Wala bridge is under senior engineers’ supervision. Administrative teams are on round-the-clock monitoring.

In Fazilka, deputy commissioner Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu issued an alert to residents of creek side villages after 2.20 lakh cusecs of water was released from Hussainiwala Headworks on Tuesday afternoon.

“Teams were actively evacuating vulnerable families, prioritising children, women, and the elderly. Five relief centres have been set up to shelter displaced families,” she said. In Teja Rohela village alone, four childbirths took place in the past week—three in government hospitals and one in a registered private hospital. Health teams have already identified 45 pregnant women across affected villages and ensured timely relocation when required. Four of them have successfully delivered in the last seven days.