Punjab Floods 2024 – Short Notes
Why in News?
- Punjab facing worst floods: all 23 districts flood-hit, affecting 1,900+ villages, 3.8 lakh people, 11.7 lakh ha farmland, 43 deaths.
- Gurdaspur worst hit.
- Pakistan Punjab also badly affected.
Rivers: Boon & Bane
- Punjab nourished by Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, seasonal Ghaggar, and choes.
- Fertile alluvium → Punjab = “Food Bowl of India” (20% wheat, 12% rice).
- Bane: recurrent floods due to monsoon inflows + weak dhussi bundhs.
- Major floods: 1955, 1988, 1993, 2019, 2023, 2024.
- 2024: Beas overflow, Ravi flooding (Madhopur barrage gates collapse), Sutlej waterlogging in Malwa.
- Rainfall 45% above normal in Punjab, HP, J&K.
Role of Dams
- Key dams: Bhakra (Sutlej), Pong (Beas), Thein/Ranjit Sagar (Ravi).
- Managed by BBMB (Bhakra-Beas Management Board, under Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966) and Punjab State bodies.
- Dams regulate flow but sudden water releases during heavy inflows cause floods.
- 2024: Pong inflows 20% higher than 2023; Bhakra also saw high inflows.
Punjab’s Concerns with BBMB
- BBMB prioritizes irrigation & power, not flood control.
- Reservoirs kept too full (July-August) → little cushion for sudden rains.
- Sudden releases without warning worsen floods.
- Governance: BBMB Centre-controlled; Punjab has limited say.
- Tensions after 2022 rule change allowing non-Punjab officers in BBMB.
Governance Failures
- Poor dam management, delayed warnings, weak coordination.
- Madhopur barrage gate collapse → Thein dam mismanagement.
- Reservoirs kept too full; abrupt emptying caused downstream devastation.
- Weak dhussi bundhs + illegal mining aggravated flooding.