In 1988, Punjab had its most disastrous floods when all the rivers in Punjab overflowed killing and displacing thousands of people.
In four days from 23 to 26 September, 634 mm rainfall fell in Bhakra area. People lost their crops. Beas Bhakra Management Board was accused and held responsible for triggering off the flood by releasing the waters from dam which burst the banks.
B. N. Kumar, chairman of Bhakra Beas Management Board, was shot dead by militants as a revenge of Beas Bhakra Management Board's role in floods.
9,000 of Punjab's 12,989 villages were flooded, of which over 2,500 were completely marooned or simply washed away. This was the biggest flood in Punjab's history as it disrupted the lives of over 34 lakh people. As people were trying to survive and manage, the Union Agriculture Minister Bhajan Lai infamously said that the floods were a blessing in disguise - his logic being that it would increase Punjab's ground water level.
References
- ^ Mudgal, Vipul (October 31, 1988). "Floods reverse crop prospects in Punjab". India Today.
- Mudgal, Vipul (November 30, 1988). "Terrorist violence escalates in Punjab". India Today.
- "India Floods Oct 1988 UNDRO Information Report 1 - India". ReliefWeb.
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