Chandigarh: Stating that the flood situation continues to impact several districts of Punjab with fresh updates indicating an increase in both human and crop losses, Hardeep Singh Mundian, the minister for revenue, rehabilitation and disaster management, on Monday said that while over 3.87 lakh people have been affected across 15 districts, the human fatalities have risen to 51 with three more deaths recorded during the past 24 hours in Mansa, Moga and Patiala districts.
Mundian said that the crop loss has now reached over 1.84 hectares and the damage to houses and livestock continues to be assessed and the full extent will be available once floodwaters recede.
On the evacuation front, he said that with 77 more evacuations in the last 24 hours, a total of 23,015 persons have been safely evacuated to date. At present, 123 relief camps are operational, sheltering 5,416 inmates and witnessing successful rehabilitation and resettlement of many affected families.
He said that mitigation measures remain in full swing with the Army deploying around 30 helicopters for rescue and relief operations, while the BSF, NDRF and SDRF teams are carrying out ground support. Relief materials including dry ration, drinking water, medicines and essential supplies are being dispatched round-the-clock to the flood-hit areas.
