The organisation’s volunteers have been active in Firozpur, Fazilka, and Faridkot districts under the leadership of Dharamveer Singh and Mukhtiyar Singh.
NEW DELHI – When Punjab was battered by its worst floods since 1988—submerging more than 1,400 villages and destroying over three lakh acres of crops—the devastation was not confined to fields and homes alone. Brick kiln workers, daily wagers, and small farmers found their already fragile livelihoods swept away by the rising waters. At the same time, families in Delhi, forced from their homes, sought shelter in makeshift camps.
Amid this widespread despair, several Muslim organisations stepped in to serve the affected people. Among them is Khudai Khidmatgar, established by freedom fighter Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. This grassroots volunteer organisation has now been carrying out coordinated relief operations across Punjab and Delhi.
Faisal Khan, President of Khdai Khidmatgar, told Clarion India that in Punjab, the organisation’s teams have been active in Firozpur, Fazilka, and Faridkot districts under the leadership of Dharamveer Singh and Mukhtiyar Singh.
“We have been working with brick kiln workers here through our education centres,” he explained. “Now, with the kilns flooded, these families have no work or income. Many of them want to return to their home states, but until then, they need immediate relief.”
The teams have been distributing food, clothes, and other essentials to the affected families, while also helping the stranded. The uncertainty of work—kilns may take months to dry—has left daily wagers vulnerable to hunger and debt, he said.
Khudai Khidmatgar’s network has ensured that help keeps flowing in from across states. From Mewat, volunteer Tasleem Mev led a relief mission to Ludhiana and Kapurthala with trucks loaded with food, water, buckets, and plastic sheets. “We collected supplies from our villages and drove straight into the worst-hit areas,” Mev said.
From Haryana, MM Islam organised three truckloads of relief material from Panipat and nearby villages. Saad Kidwai from Haldwani in Uttarakhand collected groceries—flour, pulses, oil, and sugar—for immediate distribution. In Uttar Pradesh, leader Mohammad Yassir coordinated financial contributions from Hapur and nearby areas. The funds, he said, will support rehabilitation efforts, especially for daily wagers left jobless by the floods.
Kitchens of Compassion
Faisal Khan said in Delhi too, Khudai Khidmatgar has been at the forefront of relief work. Families displaced by the Yamuna’s swelling waters have been living temporarily in Vishwakarma Colony, Basantpur Village, Khadda Colony, and Wazirabad.
Here, teams led by Samira, Shail Devi, Roshni, Ishrat Jahan, Asad, and Haseeb are distributing breakfast, milk, and bread to affected families. A community kitchen has also been set up, ensuring a steady supply of cooked meals. “Food is the first need for families who lost everything overnight,” said Samira. “We wanted to make sure no child sleeps hungry.”
Khudai Khidmatgar’s response has relied on its decentralised model, where local leaders and teams mobilise resources quickly from their own regions. This approach, the organisation said, allows it to act fast and maintain a steady flow of relief materials across multiple states.
For many families, the presence of volunteers has offered more than just material aid—it has been a display of solidarity in a time of isolation. “The floods took away our homes, but these people gave us hope,” said a brick kiln worker in Faridkot.
As waters slowly recede, the challenge of rehabilitation looms large. For Khudai Khidmatgar, the mission is far from over. “Relief is only the beginning,” Dharamveer Singh said. “The real test is helping families rebuild their lives with dignity.”
