The past few weeks have been relentless for people in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Rain has not just fallen; it has poured, lingered, and turned into an unyielding force of destruction. Officials describe August as the wettest in nearly a quarter of a century, and on the ground, the figures are no longer abstract. They mean broken houses, ruined harvests, blocked highways, and families clutching what little they could salvage as the waters rose and the entire region becomes flood bound.
Himachal Pradesh: Fragile Hills, Heavy Losses
The mountains of Himachal, usually a draw for pilgrims and tourists, have become treacherous.
- Landslides everywhere: Hillsides have given way under continuous rain, sweeping away homes and blocking over 1,200 roads. In Shimla, a house collapse killed five members of a family, prompting the government to close schools and colleges for safety.
- Human toll mounts: Since June, more than 300 people have died in weather-related accidents and landslides. The Chief Minister has formally declared the state “disaster-hit,” with damages already above ₹3,000 crore.
- Connectivity snapped: Rescue teams and the Army have had to airlift stranded pilgrims from remote valleys. Satellite phones are now the only link in some cut-off hamlets.
For the hill state, the disaster feels like a repeat nightmare. Year after year, the mountains are showing the strain of unchecked construction and shifting weather patterns.
Punjab: Fields Drown, Towns Choke
In the plains of Punjab, the flood story looks different but feels just as grim.
- Villages underwater: Over 1,000 villages across districts such as Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, and Kapurthala remain flooded. At least 29 deaths have been reported so far.
- Farmland destroyed: More than 61,000 hectares of standing crops are submerged. Farmers in Amritsar fear that even if the paddy survives, the prized basmati will lose its export quality after being soaked for weeks.
- Urban flooding: Ludhiana has been hit by toxic floodwaters from the Buddha Nullah, where untreated industrial discharge has mixed with rainwater, raising health alarms.
- Rivers on the edge: The Ghaggar and Sutlej have been running dangerously high, forcing late-night evacuations and round-the-clock monitoring of embankments.
The Punjab government has promised full compensation for crop losses and has appealed to the Centre and the diaspora for urgent assistance.
Reservoirs Under Watch
Further complicating matters are the big reservoirs that straddle the region’s rivers. The Bhakra dam has been hovering close to its danger mark, while the Pong reservoir actually rose above it, forcing engineers to open spillway gates. These controlled releases are meant to keep the dams safe, but they also add to the burden downstream.
Relief on the Ground
Relief and rescue operations are running at full tilt. Teams from the NDRF, Army, and BSF have evacuated thousands of residents. NGOs and local volunteers are distributing food, water, and even fodder for cattle. Yet the scale of need is overwhelming, and many families remain stranded or sheltered in makeshift camps.
Climate and Neglect
Meteorologists point to a changing climate, warmer air holding more moisture, leading to heavier downpours, as a key driver. But environmentalists argue that human neglect has amplified the crisis: homes built on fragile slopes, encroachments on floodplains, clogged drainage in cities. In many ways, nature’s fury has only exposed what people had long chosen to ignore.
A Shared Calamity
The floods have spilled across borders too. In Pakistan’s Punjab, nearly two million people are affected by the same swollen rivers. For once, officials on both sides of the border have had to exchange warnings and coordinate releases from upstream dams.
Looking Ahead
For families in the hills of Himachal and the villages of Punjab, the monsoon has rewritten daily life. Farmers stare at submerged fields, traders at washed-out markets, and children at shuttered schools. Relief will eventually arrive, waters will recede, but the scars- economic, emotional, and environmental, will remain.
As one farmer in Amritsar put it while surveying his drowned crop: “The floods will pass. Our debts will not.”
