Why Panjab has flooded, and what you can do

Panjab Floods

For the second time in four years, Panjab, the land of the five rivers, has found itself battling huge floods. Both Charda and Lehnda Panjab have seen destructive flooding and the scale of the disaster this time has dwarfed any previous flooding and caused untold damage and destruction, the extent of which will only become clear following the end of the monsoon rains. 

So, what has caused the flooding, and what can you do? This article looks at the main causes, and some of the organisations helping out on the ground.

Timeline

The earliest indication that this would be a problematic monsoon season occurred in June 2025 when heavy pre-monsoon rains flooded areas of Lehnda Panjab, further south in Sindh, and further east in the Pashtun homelands.

But the problems had actually begun before then. In April, the management board of the Bhakra Dam, which is located just over the Panjab's border, decided to release water from the dam anticipating heavier than normal monsoon rains. The Government of Panjab protested this move (even moving its police force towards to border to block the release) but eventually relented.  

By the time the monsoon rains came in August, the real problems began to take shape. Three of Panjab's rivers, the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab, all were swollen following heavy rains and by the last week of August as more water was released from dams outside of Panjab, the situation became critical. Millions of Panjabis were displaced from the paths of the three rivers and schools, colleges, and universities in the vicinity were closed.

By the first week of September, as the rains continued, data became available suggesting considerable death and devastation. Sikh charities began to take the lead in providing support and relief, and this is when the scale of disaster became clearer. This was the worst flooding Panjab had experienced in living memory, and its causes were a mix of nature, and human decision making.

Nature

Panjab is one of the most fertile regions in the world, even the name reflects its geography as the land of five rivers (Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and while it is bordered by mountains, Panjab itself is exceptionally flat.

​​This year, the monsoon wasn't just bad, it was uniquely heavy. Climate scientists have said that global warming is making rainfall both more intense and more unpredictable which has huge implications for climate sensitive regions like Panjab. Hotter air holds more moisture, and when that moisture is released, it comes down in huge bursts rather than steady showers. This year, some districts recorded rainfall levels not seen in decades, overwhelming rivers and nullahs within hours.

Panjab sits downstream of the Himalayas, and so when torrential rains strike the mountains, the water rushes downhill. Narrow gorges funnel that energy into rivers that swell beyond control by the time they hit the plains. This year, torrential rainfall in neighbouring India and Pakistan directly translated into dangerous surges in Panjab’s rivers. 

The natural soil profile of Panjab also plays a role. Much of central Panjab is alluvial, formed by centuries of silt deposited by rivers. This soil is fertile but not always absorbent, especially after years of irrigation that have hardened its surface. This causes the water to pool and spread. That’s why fields across areas like Kapurthala and Gurdaspur turned into shallow lakes.

The floods also came in late August, right before the paddy harvest. Rice fields require standing water, and farmers had already flooded their fields deliberately. When the rains came, those fields acted as vast basins, spreading and holding excess water. Rice isn't a plant that is native to Panjab, but during the green revolution it was considered a cash crop. The green revolution reduced the diversity of Panjab's crops for those that would fetch the most value (like rice) and the introduction of rice farming completely changed the dynamic of Panjab's fields.

Human

But Panjab's floods were not just a consequence of nature, years of negligence, short-term thinking, and potentially more darker reasons transformed heavy rains into devastation. 

Let’s start with dam management. Panjab’s rivers are throttled by massive dams like Bhakra, Pong, and Ranjit Sagar. In theory, these dams are supposed to moderate floods by capturing excess water. In practice, they can be used like weapons that cause chaos.

Authorities knew from as early as April that reservoirs were filling dangerously high, yet coordination between the various stakeholders was poor. When inflows surged in late August, massive, sudden water releases had to be made downstream. The timing was catastrophic. Instead of gradual, managed releases, Panjab’s rivers were slammed with violent surges, submerging villages and farmland in hours. 

Next is illegal mining. For years, rampant sand mining has eaten away at Panjab’s riverbeds and embankments which is basically structural sabotage. By hollowing riverbeds, miners weakened natural flood defences. Embankments that should have absorbed and deflected water collapsed under pressure, allowing rivers to spill into habitations. 

Urbanisation has also played a big role. Across Panjab, wetlands and floodplains that used to allow controlled flooding in quiet regions to happen have been taken over by houses (many illegally constructed) and settlements. Wetlands have been drained and some data suggests that there are now up to 7000 hectares of illegal settlements along the Beas and Sutlej floodplains. 

For decades, Panjab has been at the centre of disputes over water rights. The Anandpur Sahib Resolution, one of the most important documents in Panjabi history, was driven by water rights which ultimately led to the Panjab's war of independence in the 1980s and 90s. The Ravi and Beas rivers have been carved up by agreements that many in Panjab see as unfair. Large volumes of Panjab’s water are diverted through canals into Haryana and Rajasthan, the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (commonly known as SYL) is the most infamous example. These canals were designed to redistribute Panjab’s rivers to states that, historically, did not have the same access to glacial or monsoonal rivers.

But here’s the problem, during the 2025 floods, many of these canals that could have acted as pressure valves to divert excess water out of Panjab were closed. Instead of allowing surplus floodwater to flow into Haryana and Rajasthan, the gates were kept shut. This left swollen rivers like the Sutlej and Beas trapped within Panjab, pushing floodwaters into villages, towns, and farmland that could have been spared. For a place that has experienced genocide in living memory, such decisions are viewed with suspicion.

Deforestation in the hills surrounding Panjab has added to the problem. Forests act as natural sponges, slowing rainfall, storing water, and releasing it steadily. But decades of deforestation across the border from Panjab stripped these protections away leaving less natural barriers in place.

Finally, rivers are energetic free-spirited elements of nature. Over time, their course shifts as the waters naturally ebb and flow. The Ravi for instance once cut through Lahore but now sits many miles outside the city. The British first began building embankments to control this movement, and today all of Panjab's five rivers have more rigid courses. While this can be viewed positively in some respects, its rigidity also means the rivers energy is funnelled in one direction. The use of embankments also further encourages the development of riverside of developments that we explored earlier.

What can you do?

There are many Sikh charities and organisations that are operating in Panjab right now, some of which has have huge experience in disaster relief.

​The largest and best known is Khalsa Aid. United Sikhs, Sikh Aid, the Dasvandh Network and the Hemkunt Foundation are also operating in the region and providing help.

You can donate to Khalsa Aid's Panjab 2025 flood relief programme here 
You can also see a list of broader Sikh charities here