At least 30 people have been killed and more than 350,000 affected as devastating floods continue to sweep across India’s Punjab state, according to foreign media reports.
Authorities have declared all 23 districts of Punjab as flood-affected, with nearly 20,000 residents evacuated to safer areas.
Rescue efforts are underway with the help of 35 helicopters and 100 boats, while officials warn that the crisis may deepen as heavy rainfall is forecast to continue across northern India. Water gushing through the plains in India's Punjab has destroyed 150,000 hectares of crops, the government said on Tuesday.
Northern India in crisis
The monsoon season has unleashed widespread destruction this year, killing at least 130 people in August alone in northern India. Villages have been washed away, roads destroyed, and key infrastructure crippled.
The worst-hit states include Punjab, India-occupied Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, where the Chenab and Tawi rivers have risen above danger levels. Flash floods and swollen rivers have triggered landslides that have cut off many mountainous areas of Jammu and Himachal Pradesh from the rest of the country.
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In held-Kashmir’s Rajouri district, a woman and her daughter were killed when their home collapsed after heavy rains. Meanwhile, in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district, three people were confirmed dead and two others remain trapped under debris following a deadly landslide, state officials confirmed.
Delhi on alert as Yamuna breaches danger mark
In the capital city Delhi, the Yamuna River breached its danger mark on Tuesday, prompting mass evacuations. Nearly 10,000 people living along the riverbanks were shifted to relief camps.
This is not the first time Delhi has faced such a crisis -- residents were also forced to evacuate in 2023, when the Yamuna hit its highest level in 45 years, inundating homes and low-lying areas.
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Punjab’s farmlands devastated
Floodwaters have wreaked havoc on Punjab’s agricultural heartland. According to government figures, 150,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed, dealing a massive blow to India’s “breadbasket” state.
Officials fear that continued rainfall could further damage crops, worsen food shortages, and deepen the economic losses already faced by farming communities.
Authorities issue fresh warnings
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall for Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh through Wednesday.
Educational institutions have been ordered shut in several states, with authorities urging residents to stay indoors. Relief operations are being scaled up, but officials warn that worsening weather could complicate rescue and recovery efforts in the coming days.
