Floods Devastate Crops, Displace Millions in Punjab India, Pakistan

Severe monsoon rains and flash floods have devastated agricultural regions in both Punjab, India, and Punjab, Pakistan, causing significant crop losses and threatening food security. In Indian Punjab, flooding has submerged around 150,000 hectares of farmland, damaging major crops like basmati rice, with a potential 20-25% decline in production, and disrupting the livelihoods of millions of farmers. The Indian government is responding with rescue operations, compensation promises, and retail sales of stored onions to control food inflation. Across the border, Pakistan's Punjab province has suffered unprecedented destruction, losing 60% of its rice crop, 30% of sugarcane, and 35% of cotton production targets, which is critical given the province's contribution of 68% to the country's food grain output. The floods in Pakistan have also caused over 850 deaths and displaced more than two million people, with warnings of worsening fiscal pressures and disrupted food supply chains amid forecasts of continued heavy rainfall. Both regions are grappling with the compound effects of extreme weather and economic challenges, including tariffs and inflation pressures, exacerbating the humanitarian and economic crises.