Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that due to illegal mining, the embankments along the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and Ghaggar rivers have weakened, and water has inundated villages. He added, "We need to fully restore these embankments to prevent a future crisis." Due to floods in Punjab, over 1,400 villages and about 3.5 lakh people are affected.