Chandigarh, Aug. 29 -- Punjab is battling one of its worst floods in 37 years, with vast tracts of farmland, villages and security posts under water. Heavy discharge from Ranjit Sagar and Pong dams have left at least seven districts badly affected, submerging nearly 150 villages along the state's border belt.

Officials estimate that around 1.5 lakh acres of standing crops mainly paddy, sugarcane and maize are underwater. Farmers' houses and cattle sheds have been destroyed, while livestock remain stranded in waist-deep waters. In several areas, water levels range between 5 and 10 feet, leaving communities cut off from relief operations.

In Tarn Taran district, even Border Security Force (BSF) outposts have been inundated, with about 360 p...