<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The devastating floods in Punjab this year are not just a natural calamity but also the outcome of decades of neglect, poor planning, and unsustainable development. The heavy rains of July and August 2025 were far above the seasonal average, with erratic patterns of cloudbursts and prolonged downpours. While Punjab has experienced major floods in the past, notably in 1988 and 2019, the scale and intensity of the current disaster reveal how climate change has made rainfall more unpredictable and destructive.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The floods have submerged farmlands, displaced thousands of families, destroyed homes and schools, and created severe shortages of clean water and food. Livelihoods dependent on agriculture have been washed away, and diseases are spreading in relief camps. The most painful part is that those who already lived on the margins have suffered the most.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The reasons are many and interconnected. Rampant deforestation in the upper Shivalik foothills has weakened natural catchment areas and reduced the land&rsquo;s ability to absorb excess rainfall. This has resulted in heavy runoff that rushes downstream into Punjab&rsquo;s rivers and plains, overwhelming embankments and canals. Unplanned urban growth and unchecked construction on riverbeds and floodplains have blocked natural drainage systems. Encroachments, sand mining, and weakened embankments have left rivers unable to carry heavy volumes of water. Overextraction of groundwater and changes in cropping patterns have also disturbed the natural balance of water tables. Add to this the poor maintenance of canals, lack of proper flood forecasting systems, and delayed relief measures, and the disaster becomes a man-made tragedy as much as a natural one.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back in May 2025, an NGO leader working in Punjab had told me, &ldquo;We are sitting on the edge of a looming disaster. Nature is giving us warnings, but we are refusing to listen&rdquo; Sadly, those words now echo with heartbreaking accuracy.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The government&rsquo;s response has been reactive rather than preventive. Relief camps and compensation are important, but they come after the damage is done. The failure lies in not investing in long-term resilience. There has been little focus on watershed management, afforestation, strict regulation of construction, and modern flood control infrastructure. Bureaucratic delays and lack of coordination between departments have made matters worse.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is needed is a two-pronged approach. In the short term, rapid evacuation systems, early warning mechanisms, and immediate medical support must be strengthened. Relief must reach the most vulnerable without corruption or delay. In the long term, Punjab needs massive reforestation in the Shivalik hills and plains, strict laws against construction on floodplains, investment in sustainable water management, and climate-adaptive urban planning. Communities should be made partners in disaster preparedness, not just passive recipients of aid.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Punjab&rsquo;s floods are a reminder that climate change, combined with human negligence, creates disasters that could have been mitigated. The time to act is now, before the next looming crisis becomes yet another tragedy.</span></div>

2025 Punjab floods expose climate change, poor planning, and decades of mismanagement

Punjab Floods: Nature’s Fury, Man’s Neglect

2025 Punjab floods expose climate change, poor planning, and decades of mismanagement

September 7, 2025 | 12:05 IST