Despair after deluge: As the state abdicated its responsibility, common people stepped in to fill the vacuum in disaster

Published on : 03 Oct 2025, 8:32 am

Amid the recent flood disaster, government representatives were nowhere to be seen. But acts of brotherhood were visible across Punjab.

The disaster created inhumane conditions, which were clearly visible on the streets, as Down To Earth (DTE) found.

In Jatta village of Ajnala tehsil , the worst-affected area in Amritsar district, Narinder Singh stood amid waterlogged roads. “Clean water is not available, and whatever aid is arriving from outside is getting stuck on the roads. Nothing is reaching the villages themselves,” he told DTE .

Urban labourers from various districts of Punjab and neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, crowded the streets, waiting for help.

Near Gaggo Mahal village in Ajnala tehsil , similar crowds of urban labou