The people of Punjab will punish the Indian government for its policy of ‘weaponizing water’ to target Punjab and pay no attention to the massive impact on their livelihoods
London – 5 September 2025
The Indian government is being accused of deliberately releasing excess water from dams into the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers and using water as a weapon to cause wide-scale flooding in Punjab, the Sikh homeland.
Releasing flood water following heavy monsoon rains have submerged thousands of villages, drowned farmland, displaced millions and killed hundreds in Punjab on both the India and Pakistani side. Highways have been blocked, crops flattened and many remain stranded.
The Indian government is adopting a dangerous flood management policy and the people of Punjab are being made to suffer amid the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
The Indian government by releasing water has unnecessarily threatened lives, property and livelihoods without showing any concern or considering the consequences both sides of the border in what has been described as “water aggression”.
Climate change and ageing infrastructure are factors in the flooding and there has also been widespread flooding in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand as heavy monsoon rains swelled rivers on both sides of the border.
The floods, the worst in nearly four decades have claimed nearly 1,000 lives in Pakistan and more than 500 lives in India.
The Indian government has however not issued a formal response to accusations that it has chosen to flood Pakistan and parts of India. Media attention has been focused on Pakistan while the people of Punjab on the India side have been abandoned.
Punjab on the India side has long suffered from inequitable water-sharing arrangements, with decisions on water diversion and dam operations often made without proper regard for the rights and welfare of its people. These factors have exacerbated the scale of the destruction, raising questions of accountability and long-term justice for affected communities.
Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Strategy Board said: “The floods have been devastating and wreaked havoc across Punjab on both sides of the border, although the loss of life has been much greater on the Pakistan side.”
“We are deeply concerned for the people of Punjab that have on the one hand been deliberately targeted by the Indian government by the release of flood water and ignored in terms of having to fend for themselves.”
“The release of water from upstream dams without adequate warning or planning has intensified flooding in Punjab’s villages and farmland. The situation has been exacerbated with no meaningful assistance to farmers from the Indian government.”
“Many regard the Modi government’s action as deliberate with the intention to cause widespread destruction and damage to Punjab’s famers as revenge for the farmers protest that forced Modi in November 2021 to repeal controversial farm laws.”
Government backed relief operations have been very limited with calls for accelerated relief and a special relief package for flood-hit states, especially farmers. In Punjab Sikh institutions and global Sikh charities have had to step in and shoulder the burden.
Despite these challenges, the people of Punjab, driven by the Sikh values of seva (selfless service) and Chardi Kala (eternal optimism), have rallied and shown remarkable resilience. Community led efforts have kept critical services afloat, delivering food, shelter and medical care where official channels have failed.
ENDS Jaspal Singh Lead Executive Sikh Federation (UK)