Editorial: Punjab’s Floods Demand More Than Symbolism
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann surveyed floods! (Image Bhagwant Mann, X)
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit flood-affected states, including Punjab, the images emerging from the region are devastating: submerged villages, breached embankments, ruined crops, and tens of thousands forced into relief camps.
Punjab, often celebrated as the food bowl of India, now finds its fields under water, exposing once again the fragility of our infrastructure and the inadequacy of our disaster preparedness. The death toll continues to rise, with large numbers displaced, as the Prime Minister’s visit coincides with the Supreme Court taking note of the flood crisis across states.
The prime minister’s visit will undoubtedly provide a morale boost to those grappling with loss and despair. But symbolism must be matched with substance. What Punjab needs today is not just the optics of helicopter surveys or carefully choreographed interactions with victims, but a sustained commitment to flood management, relief, and long-term adaptation to a changing climate.
Year after year, India’s flood narrative repeats itself with grim familiarity: swollen rivers, overwhelmed drainage systems, and reactive relief measures. Punjab’s plight this monsoon is a warning that extreme weather is no longer an exception—it is becoming the norm. Scientific studies already link erratic rainfall and sudden cloudbursts to the larger pattern of climate change. Yet, our policy responses remain piecemeal and short-sighted.
The immediate priority must be comprehensive relief. Compensation packages should be swift, transparent, and adequate, particularly for farmers whose livelihoods are submerged along with their fields. But beyond short-term relief lies the tougher challenge: investing in modern flood control, strengthening embankments, rethinking urban planning, and restoring wetlands that once absorbed excess rainwater. The politics of water management—be it interstate disputes or bureaucratic delays—cannot continue to hold citizens hostage.
Punjab’s floods also highlight a broader paradox. The state that fed the nation during the Green Revolution now faces ecological exhaustion: groundwater depletion, soil degradation, and declining crop diversity. Floods only deepen this crisis. Relief must be tied to a larger vision that reimagines Punjab’s agrarian economy in more sustainable terms.
The prime minister has the political capital to drive such a shift, but it requires moving beyond the event-management approach to disasters. His visit should be an opportunity to announce not only immediate aid but also a roadmap for resilient infrastructure and climate adaptation. Anything less risks turning this visit into another photo opportunity.
Punjab’s floodwaters will eventually recede. But whether lessons will be learned—or wasted yet again—remains the true test of leadership.
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