No lessons seem to have been learnt from the floods of 1988 and 1993 as the well-oiled nexus of corrupt politicians, Irrigation officials and contractors keeps on failing people of the state.
It seems Punjab is once again witnessing the situation similar to September 1988 and July 1993, when 9,221.2 sq km (18.3% area) and 9,757.4 sq km (19.4% area), respectively, was inundated in the state. The studies done post 1993 floods had pointed out non-maintenance of drains as the main cause of the floods.
In 1988, flashfloods affected a maximum area of 2,054 sq km in Ferozepur district followed by Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala districts
In 1993, floods affected an area of 1,000 sq km area in Fatehgarh Sahib District. This was followed by Patiala and Gurdaspur districts
The studies done post 1993 floods had pointed out non-maintenance of drains as the main cause of the floods
According to the Statistical Abstract of Punjab, the state has over 400 drains with a total length of over 11,000 km which cover an area of around 50,000 km.