Flood Blurs India-Pakistan Border; Akal Takht Calls for Special Meeting

Initial assessments suggest that approximately 110 km of the India-Pakistan border fence have been affected by floods, with nearly 90 Border Security Force (BSF) posts submerged. Once visible as a continuous line of light at night aerially, the lighting along the fence has gone dark in numerous stretches due to damage or submersion. Villages adjacent to the border such as Mehdi Pur and Mianwali in Tarn Taran district, as well as the last settlements in Fazilka, are among the worst hit. Rising levels of the Ravi, Satluj, and Chenab rivers have left portions of the fence under 2-3 ft of water. On 29 Aug, a 100-foot-wide breach in an embankment caused floodwaters from Pakistan to overflow into India at Mehdi Pur village. Locals from both countries fixed the leak. A lot of cattle from India floated over to Pakistan. Now Pakistan is returning the cattle. Across India (East) Panjab, the most striking sight is ordinary citizens building makeshift bridges with mud, ferrying supplies on tractors, and organizing relief with religious organizations and social groups. 'We Panjabis are known for helping people in disasters,' says Lovepreet Singh of Bathinda in south Panjab, driving a tractor-trolley loaded with rations to affected villages in north Panjab. 'How can we let our own brothers and sisters die of hunger?' The response has been organized, community-driven, and cutting across religious lines. Meanwhile, Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal Throne, AT) acting Jathedar (leader) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj has called a special meeting of Sikh organizations and Non-Government Organizations serving flood victims with relief tasks at the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee head office on 13 Sep. AT Jathedar said in a statement, 'In this difficult time, Sikh organizations, institutions, groups, personalities, Panjabi actors, and artists have played an admirable role in providing immediate relief to the people of the state. This service is commendable, and it has sent a positive message of Panjab’s spirit of Chardi Kala (ever-rising spirit), nurtured under the name of the Sikh Gurus, across the country and the world' (earlier coverage).