New Delhi, March 30: Satnam Singh Sandhu, Member of Parliament, has urged the Union government to implement a unified flood index and open data governance to protect Punjab from a projected “precipitous disaster.” Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Sandhu requested the construction of small diversion structures and flood control dams to fortify the state against the upcoming monsoon.
The demand follows a period of extreme distress for Punjab’s agricultural sector, where lakhs of acres of fertile land were destroyed in recent years. Sandhu maintained that the estimates for future flooding are increasingly worrying and that the disaster becomes more dangerous with every passing year.
“In the year 2025, Punjab witnessed the worst flood disaster in recent decades,” Sandhu stated. He affirmed that the current infrastructure is no longer sufficient to handle the changing structure of the rivers, which has been altered by illegal mining activities and natural siltation.
The MP detailed a technical approach to the crisis, suggesting that the government should create natural flood buffers within wetlands and ensure quarterly public monitoring of water levels. He asserted that a transparent data system would allow for better preparation and community awareness.
Regarding the physical state of the dams, Sandhu declared that the loss of storage capacity due to silt is a “major crisis.” He noted that the Bhakra Dam has lost nearly a quarter of its total capacity to sedimentation. To address this, he suggested that existing structures must be made more durable through reinforced concrete lining.
“If the cleaning and storage capacity of the dams is not improved, then even a minor rainfall will take the form of a flood,” Sandhu affirmed. He concluded by stating that the central government must take concrete steps now, as the state has yet to fully recover from the impacts of the previous year’s inundation.
