Monday, 01 September 2025
Monday, 01 September 2025
More than 5,000 civilians have been rescued and 21 tonnes of relief material distributed in Jammu, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh as floods continue to devastate large parts of North India, the Army said on Monday.
The Western Command has been conducting extensive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations since August 16. A total of 47 columns, supported by Army Aviation and Indian Air Force helicopters, have been deployed alongside engineers, medical detachments and communication teams.
The information was shared at a news conference at the Western Command headquarters in Chandimandir, Panchkula, by Major General Puneet Ahuja and Colonel Iqbal Singh Arora.
“Troops, engineers, medical detachments, aviation assets were mobilised at short notice to safeguard lives and restore essential services,” Col. Arora said.
Flood relief columns were already trained and equipped to respond. “Aviation assets of both Indian Army Aviation and further supported by IAF ensured timely evacuation of stranded civilians and delivery of critical supplies,” he added.
Twenty aircraft, including Advanced Light Helicopters, Mi-17s and a Chinook, are engaged in evacuation and relief drops. More than 300 paramilitary personnel have also been rescued.
On August 27, Army communication teams laid over 2 km of optical fibre cable, restoring mobile connectivity in a cut-off area. Two days later, engineers constructed a bailey bridge across the Jammu Tawi in just 12 hours, restoring a vital road link.
Punjab reels under swollen rivers
Punjab has been inundated by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, and seasonal rivulets overflowing from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Districts including Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar remain affected. Many families in Hoshiarpur, forced out of their homes, are sheltering on tractor-trolleys lined along the Sri Hargobindpur road.
Fifty-four-year-old Manjit Singh from Rara village said his house was submerged under three feet of water. “The floodwaters have not only destroyed my farmland but have also left my house submerged,” he said. Singh, along with 11 family members, has been camping under tarpaulin sheets near the Rara bridge.
Jammu faces deadly toll
In Jammu and Kashmir, heavy rain and flash floods since August 14 have killed more than 130 people, left over 120 injured and 33 missing. Districts such as Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi and Ramban have been the worst hit.
Union home minister Amit Shah toured flood-hit Jammu on Monday, accompanied by Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma.
Officials, including divisional commissioner Ramesh Kumar, briefed him on the scale of destruction and the relief response.
Record rainfall during August 26–27 triggered flash floods in low-lying areas, damaging public and private infrastructure across the plains.
Himachal declared “disaster-hit”
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told the Assembly on Monday that the state has been declared “disaster-hit.”
“Ten thousand out of the 15,000 pilgrims stranded en route Manimahesh in Chamba district have been rescued, and the situation is being closely monitored,” he said in a suo motu statement.
Losses are estimated at Rs 3,560 crore, mostly to roads, bridges and water and power systems. Sections of the Chamba-Bharmour National Highway and the Chamba-Salooni-Padri-Jot road have been reopened to allow pilgrims from Jammu and Srinagar to return.
The Army’s Western Command said its operations will continue until flood-hit areas stabilise.
A landslide on the Kedarnath route early Monday killed two pilgrims and left six injured while heavy rain continued to lash various parts of Uttarakhand, leading to temporary suspension of the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib pilgrimages till September 5, officials said.
The landslide occurred at 7:34 am near Munkatiya between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on the Kedarnath route.
Debris carrying rocks and boulders fell from the hillside and hit a moving vehicle, killing two passengers and leaving six others injured, Rudraprayag Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said.
