By Manjit Kaur | Opinion |
It is hard for me to write this. My heart is heavy with a pain that refuses to fade and my words feel weighed down by grief. For days, I have scrolled through images of my beloved Panjab drowning, families stranded, villages submerged, homes swept away, animals lost. These are not distant pictures; they are my people, my homeland, my roots. Even though I live in the UK, the cries of Panjab echo in me, and I feel as if I too am wading through those rising waters.
And yet, we are told this is a “natural disaster,” an act of God. That story is a convenient lie. Yes, the rains were heavy, but this catastrophe is not the work of nature. In truth, it is the work of people in power who chose greed and negligence over responsibility. Year after year, experts have warned about silted riverbeds, poor dam management and the reckless destruction of Panjab’s fragile ecosystems. Year after year, politicians have looked away, lining their pockets while villages and ordinary farmers are left vulnerable. This was not inevitable. It was preventable!
Why were dams allowed to fill to bursting point before waters were suddenly released? Why were forecasts ignored? Why were the poorest villages, not the urban centres of the powerful, sacrificed to the floods? The truth is ugly: lives were gambled away to protect vested interests. The government failed in its first and most basic duty which is to protect its people. To call this “nature’s fury” is to let guilty men wash their hands of blood.
The scale of devastation is staggering: at least 29 lives lost, more than 1,000 villages flooded, 300,000 acres of fertile farmland buried under silt, livestock swept away, infrastructure broken. Over 250,000 people are now left with nothing: no homes, no food, no clothing. These are not statistics; they are broken lives, people betrayed by those who should have safeguarded them.
EXTRAORDINARY HUMANITY
And yet, even amidst ruin, I see courage. Families who have lost everything still rush to help their neighbours. Villagers stripped to their bare essentials form groups to support one another. This is the true spirit of Panjab: ordinary people showing extraordinary humanity, while those in power hide behind excuses.
Where the state has abandoned its duty, others have stepped in. Khalsa Aid, United Sikhs, Sarbat Da Bhala Charitable Trust and countless volunteers are on the ground, doing the work of a government that has once again failed its people. Even celebrities like Diljit Dosanjh and Ammy Virk, and well know Kirtani’s like Jagjeet Singh Babiha, have committed resources and/or spoken out to raise awareness of the tragedy. But let us be vigilant. Too many use tragedy as a business opportunity. Donations must go only to trusted hands with a record of genuine service, not to opportunists exploiting suffering for money or fame.
This is not easy for me to write. The pain cuts deep, because this is the land of my grandparents, my parents, my family tree. They may not live anymore, but their spirit is alive in me. And when Panjab weeps, I weep. This is not just their loss; it is ours.
CRIME OF MEN
The truth must be said: the suffering of Panjab is not the wrath of nature or God, but the crime of men. Government officials, bureaucrats and politicians, all of whom are entrusted with stewardship, have betrayed the people for their own gain. Unless there is radical change in governance and a commitment to restore Panjab’s ravaged ecosystems, floods like these will come again, each time washing away more lives, and destroying more futures.
And yet, Panjab will rise again, not because of its rulers, but despite them. Its people, with courage and solidarity, will endure. But they should never have been left to drown in the first place.
Manjit Kaur, a UK-based therapist and counsellor, is a presenter at the 1 Show Live at Panjab Broadcasting Channel, UK. She can be contacted via email at manjitkaur1show@gmail.com
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