A ‘double whammy’: floods in 2025, untimely rains now leave Punjab farmers distraught

Jatinder Singh of Dharamheri village in Patiala district said he hurriedly harvested around 10 acres of wheat on Sunday, fearing damage. “Looking at the unpredictable weather, I harvested around 10 acres of crop on Sunday. The previous paddy got damaged due to the Ghaggar overflow during the floods, and hence, I was worried a lot. The crop was ready, and given the unpredictable weather, I had no choice but to harvest.”

“Now, the crop, covered with tarpaulin sheets, is lying in a nearby mandi, and a family member guards it 24×7. I am waiting for the crop to be sold. I pray it doesn’t rain anymore, and the harvest is sold. Mandis lack facilities. We did cleaning to keep our produce,” he added.

Jatinder said some farmers opted for hurried harvesting, while others had to halt harvesting midway. “Floods had damaged our paddy crop in September, so we had our fields vacant for early wheat sowing. Hence, the crop was ready for harvesting,” he said.

In contrast, Manjit Singh Niyal from Niyal village in Patiala said his crop had already been flattened. “My crop is flattened. I just hope it doesn’t rain on Tuesday, so I can start harvesting by the weekend. But if it rains heavily, my hard work will go to waste. However, we expect a loss of yield,” he added.

Farmers in border districts are also on the edge. Darshan Singh Giddranwali from Giddranwali village of Fazilka district said, “My cotton crop was damaged in the floods last year, and now rain and hail are a cause of concern. Girdawri is yet to happen.”

Sukhjinder Singh Rajan from Abohar said it’s difficult to assess losses amid rainfall and hailstorms. “It has been raining intermittently for the past 3-4 days. On Monday, we saw hailstorms. As of nowm we don’t have an idea about how much loss will happen. We will get to know about it after the weather improves,” he added.

Suspended Congress MLA from Abohar Sandeep Jakhar, who visited fields in his constituency on Monday, said efforts were being made to compile damage reports. “We are making a list of affected farmers after visiting the area. I will share the list with officials so that they can complete girdawri at the earliest. It is indeed a double whammy for many, as earlier they suffered floods in September and now untimely rains,” he said.

Mahinder Singh Bhola of Thuliwal village in Barnala district said he has been waiting for the weather to improve to harvest his crop. “The crop is nearly ready for harvesting, but it has flattened by the gusty wind and rain,” he added.

Farmer union leaders also flagged widespread damage.

Nirmal Singh of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee said several villages in Muktsar, including Kattianwali, Gandhar, Bhagsar, Bodiwala, Raniwala and Aspal, were affected. “Hailstorm and rain caused damage in several villages. Farmers have been waiting for the promised girdawri,” he said.

At a rally in Fazilka last week, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had announced girdawri.

Farmers, however, say the process needs to be expedited. “If girdawri is not completed soon, many farmers will clear their fields either to sell whatever yield is left or to collect wheat straw. Once the harvest is done, farmers will not get any compensation, so we urge authorities to start girdawri at the earliest,” said Rajan.

Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal urged Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to send a central team to assess the damage.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also raised the issue, claiming large-scale crop destruction. Addressing a rally in Budhlada on Monday, Sukhbir said, “We are making a programme to provide wheat as well as green and dry fodder to affected farmers.” He added that the modalities would be finalised at a meeting of party district presidents and constituency in-charges in Chandigarh. Meanwhile it needs to be mentioned that from April 1 – April 6, it rained 27.6 mm in Punjab which is slightly above normal (25.5 mm) rainfall as per the IMD Chandigarh data. However in Fazilka, it rained 46.1 mm during this period compared to 17.4 mm normal rainfall expected for the region while in Barnala it rained 28mm compared to standard 13.6 mm considered as normal in this area in this season. Meanwhile as per IMD prediction, gusty winds to the speed of 50-60 km/hour, thunderstorm, hailstorm and rainfall is expected at isolated places in Punjab on Tuesday as well.