Punjab floods: CM Mann says monitoring ‘natural disaster’, Congress terms it ‘man-made’

With many areas in Punjab reeling under floodwater on Thursday (August 28, 2025), Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserted he was regularly monitoring the situation unfolding in the State due to the “natural disaster”, even as the Congress termed it “man-made”, blaming the AAP for failing to act timely.

Several roads, low-lying areas and farmland have been inundated following the rains. The rains have left the rivers Sutlej, Ravi and Beas flowing through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in spate.

Mr. Mann, after conducting the whirlwind tour of the flood-affected areas, asked the Deputy Commissioners of the affected districts to intensify the pace of relief and rescue measures, besides providing all necessary material to the families stranded at inundated villages.

In Amritsar, during the Chief Minister’s visit, officials informed him about the damage caused to the standing crops, houses, public installations and livestock due to floods. Describing the situation as “unprecedented”, Mr. Mann assured all possible assistance from his government to the people, adding that the state government has already started massive relief and rescue work.

He said that efforts are being made to plug the breaches, besides ensuring the dewatering of waterlogged areas at the earliest in order to provide relief to the residents of these areas. The Health Department has been asked to ensure a requisite stock of medicines to contain the outbreak of water-borne diseases in the districts facing a severe crisis due to floods, he said, adding he is regularly monitoring the situation unfolding in the state due to the natural disaster.

In Jalandhar, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, “The devastation caused by floods in Punjab was a man-made disaster since the Punjab government failed to take timely action to take out water from dams in advance despite the anticipation of heavy rains. The government failed to take preventive and precautionary measures against floods, which have submerged large parts of the state and caused humongous losses to crops and property,” he said.

The majority of flood-affected villages are in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar districts.