The worst-hit districts include Amritsar (1,515 acres), Ferozepur (1,101 acres), Gurdaspur (544 acres), and Nawanshahr (539 acres). Most of the damaged areas were privately owned farmland lying close to old riverbeds, where land is cheap but flood-prone. In many places, rivers have shifted their course by almost 100 feet every decade, eating into cultivated land.

Illegal mining in riverbeds worsened the erosion, officials admit. Affected farmers will get Rs 19,000 per acre compensation, but the land may remain uncultivable for three to four years due to deep craters. Officials say such massive land loss has not been seen in 40 years of Punjab’s history.

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