A whopping Rs 2,000 crore was washed away in just 72-hour of incessant rains in Punjab from August 17 to 19, which left eight dead and more than 13,000 people displaced.
Earlier, the State Government had assessed the losses at Rs 1700 crore, while it has sought Rs 1000 crore special package from the Central Government to deal with the floods in the state.
“Damage assessed will cost the State approximately Rs 2,000 crore, which includes compensation and damage to the state's infrastructure,” said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in a tweet from his Twitter handle while expressing the gratitude to the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Punjab government’s officials along with the people “who came together to repair breaches and safeguard lives”.
Capt Amarinder also shared a report of the damages during the recent floods, dated August 24. It says that total of 18 districts were affected by the recent floods after a total of 317.63 mm rainfall lashed all the 22 districts across Punjab.
The report says that as many as 13635 people in 554 villages across the state, especially the districts Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Rupnagar, and Moga, were affected by the heavy rains that battered the state, causing overflowing of rivers and leading to floods.
As per the report total eight lives were lost, with maximum five in Ludhiana district. One person each died in Fazilka, Roopnagar (Ropar) and Jalandhar districts. Besides, one person has been reported missing while 12 others have faced serious injuries due to floods.
A total of 4228 animals, including the livestock, were died during this period, said the report adding that as many 3,000 animals were in total four relief camps set up by the State Government.
As many 2,776 people have been residing in total 99 relief camps set up by the State Government, where all the items of requirements, including food and water, is being provided. In addition, 5,973 persons were evacuated from their houses.
During the rains, over 1,457 pucca houses and 49 kutcha houses were fully or severely damaged other than 298 pucca and 64 kutcha houses that were partially damaged.
As per the report, the rainfall affected crops over 1.72 lakh (1,72,223) acres. Even as the State Government is yet to order the girdwari (crop assessment), which would be conducted after the water level recedes, the preliminary crop loss has been estimated at Rs 750 crore.
Besides, the Government had earlier attributed Rs 200 crore loss to the rural infrastructure including damage to the schools, dispensaries, veterinary dispensaries, streets and drains at Rs 200 crore, Rs 150 crore to repair irrigation infrastructure, Rs 150 crore for repairing the damaged village link roads, Rs 100 crore each for repairing the damages to the highways and bridges, along with municipal and civic infrastructure and power infrastructure.
Preliminary loss to private electric tube-wells, and diesel pump sets, besides rural water supply has been estimated to be Rs 50 crore each, besides Rs 50 crore to other expenditure.
Declaring the rains as “unprecedented”, the Chief Minister had already declared the flood situation in the affected villages of the state as a “natural calamity”.
Capt Amarinder had noted that a large number of crops have been destroyed in more than 100 villages especially in Ropar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts, due to heavy rains leading to overflowing of Sutlej river.