IAF, Army rescue 800 people as J-K, Punjab grapple with devastating floods

The Air Force on Wednesday (August 27) flew six helicopters for relief and rescue operations in the flooded parts of Jammu and northern Punjab, winching up 38 soldiers of the Army and 10 of the BSF from Dera Baba Nanak town of Gurdaspur in a high-stakes rescue operation.

Similarly, the Army carried out several rescue operations and evacuated 715 people, including government employees, and BSF and CRPF personnel trapped in flash floods in Jammu and Pathankot sectors.

The Army has deployed 13 flood relief and rescue columns in response to the massive floods in Jammu and Pathankot regions, a Defence PRO said.

IAF to the rescue

During the day, an IAF C-130 transport aircraft, loaded with relief and rescue material along with an NDRF team, landed in Jammu with critical supplies and manpower. More transport aircraft remain on standby to join the rescue efforts, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying flooded areas, as torrential rain continued in the region for the fourth day on Wednesday, turning swathes of land into veritable rivers. Parts of northern Punjab were also flooded.

“Five Mi-17 helicopters and one Chinook helicopter were promptly pressed into service from nearby bases in the northern sector, ensuring maximum rescue capability and operational reach. Additional helicopters remain on standby to join the rescue efforts,” said the ministry.

Also read: Sher-e-Punjab restaurant in Manali washed away amid floods in Himachal

Winched to safety

Twelve army troops and 11 BSF personnel, including three BSF woman constables, were winched up to safety from flooded areas in Akhnoor in Jammu, officials said. Drinking water and food packets were being airdropped to those who are cut off by the floods.

The ministry said in the Pathankot area of Punjab, IAF helicopters evacuated 46 stranded civilians. Over 750 kg of essential relief material were air-dropped.

In a high-stakes operation, 38 army personnel and 10 BSF personnel were winched from the severely hit Dera Baba Nanak region in “perilous conditions”, the ministry said. More such missions are ongoing in the region, it added.

Joint operation

In a swift joint operation, Army and Air Force helicopters evacuated 60 employees of the Punjab government’s Water Resources Department stranded at Madhopur Headworks on the barrage after surging Ravi River waters cut off access.

Triggered by relentless rainfall, the flood-like situation left the personnel marooned until coordinated aerial efforts ensured their safe rescue. The sudden collapse of a section of the Kashmir Canal gate in Lakhanpur left several people stranded as floodwaters surged.

Floods in Jammu forced approximately 100 civilians, including children, to take shelter in Kandoli Mata Mandir at Nagrota. Troops of White Knight Corps swung into action and provided food, medical assistance, safety and security to those in need.

Also read: Punjab floods: Rescue efforts intensified, boats used to evacuate people

Jammu death toll at 41

The death toll in the rain-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir rose to 41 on Wednesday, with the Vaishno Devi landslide accounting for 34 of the lives lost, as some let-up in the showers allowed relief efforts to pick up pace.

Though the swollen rivers showed signs of receding from 11 am Wednesday, the Jhelum breached the flood alert mark in Anantnag and Srinagar, and water entered several residential and commercial areas.

Massive damage has been reported to public infrastructure, including several key bridges, private houses and commercial establishments, due to overflowing of water bodies and flash floods across the Union Territory, officials said, adding more than 10,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying flooded areas.

All J-K educational institutes to remain closed

A BSF jawan was swept away by the strong current of a swollen stream in the Akhnoor sector. The body was later found.

As torrential rains disrupted normal life, Education Minister Sakina Itoo announced that all educational institutes will remain closed across Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday in view of the inclement weather.

The Northern Railways ordered the cancellation of 58 trains to and from Jammu and Katra stations, while 64 trains were short-terminated or short-originated at various stations in the division.

Rail traffic, which was briefly restored on Wednesday morning with six trains departing from Jammu after a day-long suspension, has again been halted due to flash floods and heavy soil erosion in the Chakki River area, the officials said.

Also read: 30 killed in Jammu as torrential rains wreak havoc; thousands evacuated

More bodies found on Vaishno Devi route

The death toll in the Vaishno Devi landslide increased as rescuers pulled out more bodies from under the debris. Officials said 24 of the deceased have been identified, of whom 14 are women. With more people feared trapped, rescue teams are continuing to dig through the mounds of rubble to look for survivors.

The pilgrimage to the shrine remained suspended for the second day.

Punjab schools closed till August 30

In Punjab, the state government declared a holiday for all schools from August 27 to August 30. Despite that, 381 students and 70 teachers got stranded at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Gurdaspur’s Daburi as 4–5-foot-deep water gushed into the school.

While the teachers and students were rescued by NDRF and BSF teams, the school principal received a notice for not sending them home, even though a holiday had been declared.

The situation in flood-hit Pathankot remains grim as many villages have been inundated due to the rise of the water levels in the Ravi, Ujh, and Jalalian rivers. These rivers surged following the release of water from the Ranjit Sagar dam due to showers in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Massive damage in Punjab

More than 2,000 people were rescued from flood-hit Ferozepur district in two days. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, after a visit to the Gurdaspur district, directed officials to press state government helicopters into service for delivering relief supplies.

More than 8,000 acres of farmland in 44 villages of Hoshiarpur district have been submerged under floodwaters, while the water level in the Pong Dam reached 1,393 feet on Wednesday, with an inflow of about 1.62 lakh cusecs.

The worst-affected villages in Punjab are in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar districts. Scores of people in flood-ravaged areas were evacuated to safer places, officials said.

Also read: Odisha floods: 170 villages sink as rivers overflow, IMD warns of more rain

Dams bursting at the seams

The Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets rose following heavy rains in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, inundating large swathes of farmland and villages along these rivers.

The water level in the Pong dam on Wednesday stood at 1,393.68 feet, around 3 feet more than what it was on Tuesday. The dam’s upper limit capacity was 1,390 feet. The water inflow and outflow were recorded at 94,845 cusecs.

In Bhakra dam, the water level was 1,671.90 feet, 9 feet below the danger mark. The water inflow in the Bhakra dam was 59,442 cusecs and outflow was 43,882 cusecs.

Several teams of the NDRF, SDRF, Army, BSF, state police and respective district administrations carried out relief and evacuation operations.

Ravi, Sutlej cause mayhem

In Amritsar, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sahwney took charge of the relief operation in Ajnala where a breach occurred in an embankment because of the rising water level in the Ravi River. She said water entered 20 villages of the Ajnala constituency, adding that the NDRF has been deployed for rescue and relief operations.

The flood situation in Ferozepur, a border district, remained serious on Wednesday as more than 2,000 people were rescued from affected villages in the past 48 hours.

Villages worst hit by rising Sutlej waters include Kaluwala, Tendi Wala, Bagge Wala, Nihala Lavera, Nihala Kilcha, Habib Ke, Gatti Rajo Ke, and Navi Gatti Rajo Ke. Residents were evacuated after water levels rose sharply, forcing many to leave their homes and livestock behind.

Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma said 12 relief camps have been established at Bagge Wala, Bare Ke, Dulchi Ke, Fatte Wala, Joege Wala, Dona Mathar, and Madi Ke.

Also read: YouTuber swept away while recording reels in Odisha waterfall, missing for 5 days

Entire Punjab Cabinet on the field

The Punjab government mobilized its entire Cabinet to the affected districts to oversee relief operations and ensure the safety of residents. CM Mann directed all the ministers to remain in the field until the situation was under control.

The cabinet ministers are actively monitoring the distribution of essential supplies, managing evacuation efforts, and addressing the immediate needs of those displaced by the floods, said the officials.

Mann noted that many individuals are stranded in marooned villages requiring immediate assistance. He said flood control rooms have been established in all districts of the state, and the government is committed to compensating individuals for every penny of loss incurred due to the heavy and continuous rainfall.

The chief minister announced that the state government has initiated a special “girdawari” to assess losses due to flooding. He stated that every loss — whether it be crops, livestock, homes, or other property — will be documented in the special “girdawari” to ensure that individuals receive full compensation for their losses.

Abdullah chairs meeting

In Jammu and Kashmir, too, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the government’s top priorities were rescue, relief and restoration, and emphasised the need for strict deadlines to ensure accountability and transparency in the response.

Chairing a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat, the chief minister reviewed the damage caused by the downpour across Jammu and Kashmir and assessed preventive and welfare measures in view of the prevailing weather situation.

He said the heavy rain has created a flood-like situation of devastating proportions, despite forecasts. “The government’s immediate priorities are rescue, relief and restoration. Strict deadlines must be set to ensure accountability and transparency in the government’s response,” he said during the meeting.

‘Relief delivery is next mission’

Appreciating the role of the Jammu district administration, Abdullah said the rescue of people had been carried out effectively in many affected areas. “Relief delivery is our next mission. We have to make arrangements for those whose houses have been damaged. It is our responsibility to look after them until they are settled,” he said.

“We must ensure nobody remains hungry and that there is no outbreak of water-borne diseases. Debris removal and deployment of men and machinery will be our immediate focus,” he said.

“Restoration of water and power supply is our supreme priority. Silt removal from canals and nullahs must be ensured to avoid further aggravation or recurrence of backflow of rainwater,” he told officials during the meeting.

The chief minister also reviewed the status of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. He directed that in case the highway did not open in the coming days, essential supplies to the valley must be ensured through the Mughal Road.

Also read: Army rescues 25 people from flooded Punjab village right before building collapses

Abdullah tours Jammu

Abdullah also conducted an extensive tour of Jammu city to assess damages and oversee immediate relief measures. Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Minhas briefed the chief minister on ongoing rescue operations, functioning of temporary shelters, supply logistics, and inter-departmental coordination.

During his visit, the chief minister inspected the Fourth Tawi Bridge at Bhagwati Nagar, Science College at the old university campus, Hari Singh Park, and flood-hit areas of Gujjar Nagar in Jammu.

Omar emphasised that the damaged end portion of the Fourth Tawi Bridge required immediate technical evaluation, recalling that the structure had suffered damage during the 2014 floods as well.

He underlined the need for preventive measures to avert similar risks in the future. On the issue of damaged houses, Omar Abdullah said rehabilitation must be planned holistically to ensure affected families receive adequate support. He directed officials to identify urgent on-ground challenges and resolve them on priority.

Preventive measures not taken in Katra

Expressing grief over the recent landslide in Katra, which claimed the lives of pilgrims, the chief minister noted that preventive measures should have been implemented beforehand to stop the pilgrims from proceeding on the route and to hold them at safe locations in view of advance warnings about the severity of the weather.

He regretted the loss of precious lives and conveyed condolences over the tragedy.

Abdullah also gave directions to BSNL and private telecom operators Jio and Airtel to immediately restore internet and telecom services in Jammu and Kashmir, stressing that the functioning of the communication network is all the more important during times of crisis and emergency.

He further directed that all immediate steps be taken for restoring traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and Jammu-Pathankot Highway so that stranded vehicles are cleared and traffic is restored on priority.

He also instructed line departments to work on a war footing for the restoration of electricity, water supply, and road access in all affected areas.

The chief minister added that a comprehensive relief package for Jammu and Kashmir would soon be formulated in the coming days.

(With agency inputs)