Opinion Reaching out to Punjab
Urgent relief from Centre, reinforcement of river embankments, and reform of Indus Waters Treaty are needed
A total of 43 lives have been lost across 14 districts while three persons are missing in Pathankot. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh) 
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Punjab is now ground zero for two converging crises. First came the brief but intense India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, when the entire state reeled under blackouts, missile alerts, and cross-border escalation. Though the sirens have faded, another disaster has surged forth, this time in the form of floods. These floods are drowning not only its fields and villages, but also hopes of recovery. This is the time to fortify Punjab, not just its riverbanks, but its future as the nation’s breadbasket and borderland.
Pakistan has been weaponising water. While both banks of the Sutlej and Beas rivers lie firmly within Indian control, the situation is more challenging on the Ravi, where only one bank remains under Indian sovereignty. The other bank runs through Pakistan, and its recent construction of embankments, spurs, and studs is certainly a part of a calculated plan. While Pakistan’s economy is minuscule compared to India’s, the embankments along the Ravi in Pakistan are formidable and overseen and executed by the Pakistani military. A similar scenario pl ayed out during the 1988 floods as well. The use of concrete embankments and the military’s involvement underscore how Pakistan views the Ravi as a matter of national security, a lesson India cannot afford to ignore.
Recently, Pakistan has also launched a massive flood-control initiative on the Ravi, focusing on the construction of a 90-kilometre-long retaining wall on both sides of the river. This wall, planned to be 300 feet wide and 27 feet high, will incorporate specialised water training structures designed to regulate the river’s flow. We need to invest in reinforced embankments, and use better flood control systems to protect our fields and villages from both natural overflows and cross-border manoeuvres.
Alongside this, I would also emphasise the urgent need to invest in recharging groundwater. While canal irrigation is important when river water is available, a substantial number of farmers depend on groundwater for their crops. We should use flowing waters to refill our underground water reserves. According to the Central Ground Water Board’s Master Plan, Punjab needs 1.1 million artificial recharge structures to harness nearly 1,200 million cubic metres of rainwater, improving long-term water security for agriculture.
While strengthening the Ravi embankment and recharging aquifers are medium-term measures, we must also strengthen the farming sector immediately. Five steps are essential.
As a farmer and former finance minister, I can point to some practical realities facing the agricultural sector. Wheat sowing will begin in a few weeks, but first we must pump out water and clear silt from flooded fields. For this, local administrations require diesel. Second, as a one-off measure, farmers should be provided free seeds and fertilisers. This provision should go to those whose fields were inundated, with subsidies for others, since all have incurred losses.
The Centre can effectively reach and support farmers by sending an additional instalment of relief directly under the PM KISAN scheme through direct benefit transfer (DBT). Similarly, targeted support for motor repairs, desilting, and social security benefits can also be delivered via DBT mechanisms. Additionally, the central government can open a portal for PM Awas Yojana beneficiaries to upload and geotag damaged houses for direct relief, with further assistance available to affected schools under the National Education Mission. Direct cash transfers are essential to quickly compensate farmers for immediate losses, restore purchasing power, and stabilise rural economies. It is also time to integrate federal programmes with Punjab’s planning, ensuring that relief, recovery, farming initiatives, and river management all benefit from coordinated support.
Finally, relief efforts must not be limited to farmers alone. As former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal recognised during the cotton crisis, farm labourers are equally impacted by such disasters. At least 10 per cent of all support should be set aside specifically for farm labourers whose livelihoods have been disrupted.
Beyond emergency farm help and fixing our riverbanks, we also need to face the dual realities of climate change and the outdated Indus Waters Treaty. Recent South Asian monsoons have become increasingly volatile and intense, with 2025 seeing rainfall 15-30 per cent above long-term averages and rapid swings between extreme floods and drought.
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The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, was not designed to address rapid or erratic changes caused due to climate change. The treaty lacks flexible provisions for adaptive management and climate resilience planning. The visionary decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty signals a recognition that South Asia’s water-sharing frameworks must be rethought in the era of climate change.
Immediate relief from the Centre, medium-term reinforcement of river embankments, and long-term reform of the Indus Waters Treaty stand as the pillars to truly fortify Punjab and India against the mounting threats of hostile neighbours and climate change.
The writer is a former finance and planning minister of Punjab
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