The 2025 floods that ravaged Punjab are a tragic resemblance of the 1988 floods

 The 2025 floods that ravaged Punjab are a tragic resemblance of the 1988 floods, 

signalling the way years of human activity have worsened what would have been an unfortunate natural disaster. Heavy monsoon rainfall and the greater release of water from dams were the initial work of nature, but much of the damage was the result of human activity.  primary and very obvious cause of this flooding is poor management of water and inadequate infrastructure. After decades of failed maintenance and poor management, natural drains, canals, and seasonal drains have become clogged with silt and garbage. Dhussi bandhs (the embankments that protect the villages) were never constructed properly, have not maintained their integrity, and were breached illegally. Due in part to unplanned urban development and unrestrained construction on riverbeds or floodplains, the paths of rivers have been narrowed, restricted, or obstructed, and thus these waters have nowhere to flow. The addition of concrete in our environment also reduces the ability of that land to absorb rainwater and directs excess runoff more rapidly into our rivers and streams. 

Moreover, deforestation from urban development and illegal sand mining further alters the natural landscape in Punjab. Deforestation causes a loss of tree cover on the landscape reducing soil stability and water retention. Sand mining along streambeds has caused a reduction in the riverbed itself and can alter the course of water flow by deepening the stream bed, which destabilizes the bank. Collectively, these elements can work together to create a perfect storm of conditions, where heavy rainfall goes from being an event we can contain control, to unrestrained destruction overwhelming what we regard as Punjab's rivers, which essentially turn from being the sources of life to sources of destruction.