In recent years, North India has been facing a troubling pattern —short but very heavy bursts of rain. These spells are triggering flash floods, swelling rivers and dams, and causing destruction across Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) says such events, which were rare earlier, are now happening more often. They call these “early warning signs” and say the region must prepare urgently.
For example, on July 9, 2023, Chandigarh recorded 302.2 mm of rain in just 24 hours — the highest ever in its history. It forced authorities to open the gates of Sukhna Lake, bringing the city to a standstill. At the same time, Ropar and Nawanshahr in Punjab received 400 mm and 350 mm of rainfall in less than two days. This pushed the Sutlej River to a dangerous level of 3.05 lakh cusecs, flooding nearly 1,400 villages across several districts, including Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Kapurthala.
Barely a month later, on August 16, 2023, the Pong Dam on the Beas River recorded its highest-ever inflow — 7.30 lakh cusecs — breaking a record set in 1978. The dam’s level rose by 25 feet in just four days (August 11–15), flooding Kapurthala’s Mand region and parts of Hoshiarpur.
This year, the trend has only grown. In August 2025, Himachal Pradesh recorded 68 per cent above-normal rainfall — the highest for that month since 1949. Punjab recorded 74 per cent surplus rain, the highest in 26 years. On August 16, the Pong Dam again swelled dangerously, and its water level reached 1,380.79 feet. Punjab’s rainfall picture flipped dramatically — from a 5 per cent deficit to a 74 per cent surplus within one week. Haryana too shifted from deficit to 32 per cent surplus in the same time.
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On September 2 this year, Ambala and Gurdaspur were drowned in rain again — with 105 mm and 95 mm of rainfall within a few hours. These floods are not one-off incidents. In August 2019, a single day’s 70 mm rainfall flooded 163 villages in Punjab’s Doaba. Shimla saw 118.6 mm in a day on July 4, 2018. Gurgaon was hit by 128 mm in five hours on August 29, 2018. Una, Himachal, broke a 96-year-old record on July 9, 2023, when it received 228.5 mm rainfall in a day.
Experts say there are several other examples of extreme spells of showers at various places in the past few years in North India and attributed them to climate change.
Why floods are worsening
According to IMD officials, the problem is not just the total amount of rain, but how it comes down. “We are witnessing a month’s rainfall in a single day in some areas,” said Surinder Paul, Director, IMD Chandigarh. “Even two to three heavy spells are enough to cause floods now. Such frequency has increased sharply in the past decade, especially in August this year, when we saw three back-to-back extreme events,” he added.
This sudden rain leaves dams with no time or space to manage the inflow. Emergency water releases then flood the downstream regions. For instance, in August 2023, the Pong Dam rose from 1,374 feet to 1,399.65 feet in only four days. Small streams like the Sirsa, Swan, and Budhki also turn into raging torrents during these bursts, worsening the situation.
Experts point to weakened embankments, blocked drainage paths, encroachment on natural waterways, and poor reservoir management multiply the destruction. “Even moderate outflows are now inundating habitations because natural drainage paths no longer exist,” one IMD official explained.
A study by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, found that rainfall in Punjab over 68 years (1951–2018) shows fewer rainy days, but more intense downpours. The concentration of rainfall is increasing, creating new challenges for farming, groundwater recharge, and flood management.
Call for collective action
The IMD has urged Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Jammu & Kashmir to see these extreme events as signs of the “new normal” under climate change. “It is not the responsibility of one state alone,” said Paul. “Since river systems are interconnected, monthly interstate coordination meetings are essential to plan water releases, strengthen infrastructure, and improve preparedness,” Paul added.
Officials say governments should work in the direction of harvesting a huge amount of rainwater by making big reservoirs to store excess rainwater, which can later be used for drinking water, irrigation, and groundwater recharge. At the same time, cities must modernse their sewer systems. “Right now, our cities flood with even 50–60 mm of rainfall in a few hours. But with climate change, they should be ready to handle at least 150–200 mm,” said an IMD official.
The department has highlighted that early warning systems, preventive measures, and investment in climate-resilient infrastructure are urgent. “If corrective measures are not taken,” an IMD official cautioned, “the floods we are seeing today could be far worse in the coming years.”
As the Supreme Court has already warned, because of the intense and frequent rain activities in Himachal, the region may vanish one day.
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