News: Punjab is experiencing one of the worst floods. The state government has declared all 23 districts as flood-hit.
Reasons behind Punjab Keeps Flooding
1. Punjab’s Geography: Punjab has three big rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and some small ones (Ghaggar & choes). In the monsoon, heavy rains make these rivers overflow. Punjab has earthen walls (bundhs) to stop floods, but they often break when the rain is too much.
2. Excessive Rainfall: In August, very heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh caused the Beas River to swell, with inflows of 50,000 to 55,000 cusecs, which flooded Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fazilka, and Hoshiarpur.
- By mid-August, the Ravi River also swelled because of rainfall in Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir.
- At the same time, southern Punjab’s Malwa region received heavy rainfall, which led to severe waterlogging in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Ropar, Nawanshahr, and Moga.
- The IMD has reported that Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir have each recorded more than 45% above-normal rainfall this year, significantly exceeding the seasonal average.
3. Role of Dams: Punjab’s rivers are controlled by three major dams: Bhakra on the Sutlej, Pong on the Beas, and Thein or Ranjit Sagar on the Ravi. These dams store water for irrigation & electricity.
- When reservoirs fill beyond safe limits due to heavy rainfall, dam authorities are compelled to release water to prevent overtopping, which could lead to catastrophic consequences.
- The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) regulates storage and release through a “rule curve,” which is based on hydrological data and weather forecasts. However, during extreme rainfall, sudden releases become unavoidable.
- This year, inflows into the Pong Dam were nearly 20% higher than in 2023, marking an unprecedented rise. The Bhakra Dam too experienced very high inflows.
4. Weak Embankments and Illegal Mining: Punjab’s dhussi bundhs, or earthen embankments are often in poor condition and collapse during heavy flooding. Illegal sand mining has further weakened them.
5. Governance Gaps: Punjab has long complained that the BBMB focuses more on power generation and irrigation than on flood safety. The problem lies in poor coordination, lack of transparency in dam operations, failure to maintain a flood cushion and late warnings.
