Following a photo session in knee-deep water, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan described the situation in Punjab as a deluge and assured that the central government is 'firmly supporting Punjab'. Chauhan's assessment is accurate. The destruction in Punjab is comparable to a deluge. A similar severe flood occurred in 1988, resulting in 500 fatalities, but experts now claim the current situation is even more precarious than in 1988. Back then, 12 districts were affected, whereas now all 23 districts are experiencing flooding. Approximately 4 lakh acres of farmland have been inundated, and 2000 villages are underwater. The number of affected individuals has reached 4 lakh, which is about 3 lakh more than in 1988. A BSF officer stationed at the border remarked that 'the vast amount of water has transformed the rural landscape'.
The question is, could anything have been saved? First of all, the amount of rain and the speed with which it has rained has never been seen before. According to the BBMB chairman, so much water has never come into the Pong dam. All the three big dams of Punjab, Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar are full to the brim. This time the dams have received 20-25% more water. When there is so much rain, even the government becomes helpless, but the devastation that has happened this time from Himachal Pradesh to Punjab is not only the wrath of nature. As I had written three weeks ago, what has happened is also the result of human stupidity, but now it is known that this is not only a matter of stupidity, it is also of government apathy and negligence. Despite repeated devastation, governments remain asleep and wake up only when the water has reached the head.
Innumerable surveys and studies have shown that behind the devastation there is not only the 'human factor' but also the 'governance factor'.
Himachal Pradesh has to bear the first brunt of the rains. The devastation this time has been unprecedented. 900 roads are blocked. Some have been washed away and some have been blocked by landslides. Many bridges have been broken. 1500 power transformers are out of order. 400 drinking water schemes are not working. According to the government, there has been a loss of Rs 4000 crores which this state cannot bear. 366 people have died. Roads are the lifeline. Neither tourists are coming nor apples are going out. But was this only the blow of nature or had the state itself arranged for its own destruction? The Supreme Court, concerned after watching the videos of wood washed away near Pong Dam and Chamba in the floods, has also issued a notice to the government and the concerned organizations that 'illegal cutting of trees has invited this disaster'. The Forest Department of Himachal Pradesh denies illegal felling but it is an open secret that illegal felling is rampant in our hilly regions. Deforestation invites floods and landslides.
It is hoped that the Supreme Court will take the matter to its logical end, as the Himachal government does not have the strength to stop it. The Chief Minister has ordered a CID inquiry and filed the case in the office. Rapid urbanisation is posing a threat to Himachal. The government has surrendered in the face of illegal construction, the result of which we are seeing in Manali where the Beas river has swept away a large portion.
A parliamentary committee has raised questions on highway construction that elevated roads are obstructing the natural flow of water. The mountains have started sliding due to reckless highway construction, as I had written in the first article, but has the Himachal government raised this issue with the NHAI? As far as Punjab is concerned, from what Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has also said, it seems that the main reason for such a huge devastation is administrative apathy and callousness. The minister alleges that the dams built on the river banks have become weak due to illegal mining and water has entered the villages. He said that during the Vajpayee and Prakash Singh Badal governments, the Dhussi dams built on the banks of Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and Ghaggar were strengthened and elevated, but now they have become weak and cannot bear the onslaught of water. But illegal mining is not happening only on dams. Illegal mining is going on continuously on the river banks too, which makes the river banks shallow and this is happening in front of everyone's eyes but there is no ban. Flood water comes from the mountains, which is true, as the Punjab minister is repeating, but were we prepared to handle it? Punjab is flooded every two or three years, but why are we found unprepared? Illegal mining and haphazard construction weakened the drainage system, which could not stop the flow of water. In cities like Gurgaon and Bangalore, construction over drainage had submerged our high-tech cities.
Many experts have been warning for many years that due to lack of cleaning of drains and canals, the natural drainage of water is stopped. Apart from this, the situation has become worse due to the weak condition of the dumped dams, lack of green roofs and thoughtless construction on the river banks. With time, the capacity of rivers to carry water has reduced. Silt has accumulated in the rivers. There is an urgent need to clean the rivers and drains and remove encroachments from them, but for this, political will is needed. The rains have stopped a bit, but the tragedy is not over yet. Lakhs are homeless in Punjab. The paddy crop has been destroyed. Cattle have been swept away. Houses have collapsed. The flood has left behind a lot of destruction. People are staring at a bleak future. The economy of Punjab has been devastated. There is no activity in the markets. Once the water recedes, diseases like malaria and dengue will start spreading. Many people are already reaching hospitals due to diarrhea, skin diseases and high blood pressure. Such floods in Punjab can endanger the food security of the country, because Punjab contributes the most to the food reserves. It is already estimated that Punjab's paddy target in the central pool will be reduced by 10 lakh tonnes. The fields are filled with silt and it will be difficult to grow the next crop. The Punjab government has shown courage and increased the relief to the affected farmers from Rs 6500 to Rs 20000 per acre, but Punjab is already in debt. The role of the central government will also be equally important.
Punjab is praised a lot for making the biggest sacrifice in the freedom struggle, feeding the country and protecting the borders. But praise alone is not enough. It is now the country's responsibility to look after Punjab. Punjab should have been declared a disaster-prone state but it was not. The central government itself is not without faults. The Meteorological Department had already warned that the situation could worsen in July, August and even September. If any state government is careless, it is the central government's responsibility to use the whip. The central government is also responsible for coordinating between Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. If the dams were drained out simultaneously, the water could have been drained out at once and Punjab could have been saved from drowning to such an extent. There is a need to strictly correct the management of dams. Amarjit Singh Dullat, former Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department, has said that at least 20-25 feet of space should be kept empty in the dams during the monsoon season, but this was not done. Who is responsible?
After an aerial tour of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, Prime Minister Modi has announced a relief package of Rs. 1500 crore and Rs. 1600 crore, but this is not enough considering the magnitude of the devastation. The Punjab government had asked for Rs. 20,000 crore. Bakshish Singh of Thetarke village in Gurdaspur told the Prime Minister that so much silt has accumulated in his field that he is not in a position to grow any crop for the next two to three years.
He said, "There are hundreds of farmers like me whose fields are silted. Most of them are already burdened with debt. We feel that our and our families' future is ruined." Where there is such despair, there is a need for a firm hand-holding. This country has shown extraordinary resolve in times of every crisis. Such resolve is not visible right now to deal with this great tragedy of Punjab floods. Today, Punjab can repeat Mirza Ghalib's words, We agreed that you will not show any negligence, but we will turn to dust before you even know.