Punjab’s Drowning Fields, India’s Shared Burden

Written by: Parinaaz Bains

GD by: Sonika Krishnan

Punjab is experiencing its worst floods in nearly four decades. Twelve districts, including Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Jalandhar, and Rupnagar, are under severe distress as the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej overflow. Over 2.56 lakh people have been affected, 29 lives have been lost, and more than 2.32 lakh acres of farmland have been submerged during the peak paddy season. The losses to farmers are immense, and the long-term damage to infrastructure and livelihoods will take months, if not years, to assess.

The floods this year are not just another monsoon disaster. They are a stark demonstration of how climate change is remaking our environment, our economy, and our future. Entire districts are inundated, thousands displaced, and fertile farmland destroyed. What should worry us most is not just the immediate devastation but the deeper truth that climate change is no longer a warning on the horizon. It is here, it is intensifying, and it is reshaping life in ways that carry consequences for the entire subcontinent.

For decades, Punjab has been known as the “food bowl of India,” its fields sustaining millions not only within the state but across South Asia. When these fields flood, the damage is not confined to local farmers. It expands outward, disturbing food supplies, driving up prices, and straining economies. Agriculture in Punjab is central to national food security, yet it remains acutely vulnerable to the extremes of a warming planet. Each time rivers overflow and paddy fields are drowned, it is not just a rural tragedy; it is an economic and political one.

The science behind this crisis is clear. Climate change has made rainfall more erratic, intense, and destructive. Instead of steady monsoons, Punjab now faces bursts of torrential downpours triggered by warming in the Himalayas. In 2023, Himachal Pradesh saw rainfall nearly 436% above normal in just a few days, and this year’s floods follow the same pattern. Such events are no longer rare anomalies; they are becoming the new normal. With every degree of warming, the atmosphere holds more moisture, ensuring that the rains, when they come, arrive with devastating force.

Yet, Punjab’s vulnerability is not solely the result of natural processes. It is compounded by years of human neglect. Floodplains have been encroached upon, embankments are weak, and rivers choked with silt have lost their carrying capacity. Instead of strengthening resilience, successive governments have resorted to quick fixes like relief packages, rescue teams, and temporary shelters while the structural causes remain unaddressed. Climate change is exposing this negligence with brutal clarity.

The consequences extend beyond the state’s borders. When Punjab’s crops are destroyed, when its soil loses fertility to floods or erosion, the food security of millions is threatened. India’s economy, which still depends heavily on agriculture, cannot ignore the shocks that ripple out of Punjab’s flooded fields. Rising food prices, strained procurement systems, and farmer distress are not isolated issues but are symptoms of a climate crisis that is already destabilizing the foundations of the economy.

This is why the 2025 floods must be seen as a critical turning point. Climate change is not waiting for us to act. It is accelerating, bringing disasters faster than our institutions can respond.