Chandigarh, Oct. 13 -- Having failed to complete the scientific demarcation of its vulnerable floodplains even as another monsoon has gone by, the Punjab government has sought yet another extension from the National Green Tribunal to complete the exercise. In its second status report, filed in compliance with the NGT's July 30 order, the state water resources department said technical issues had necessitated fresh drone mapping of approximately 41 sq km in the Harike area. But the Survey of India had missed the September 30 deadline to submit the remaining geospatial data, which was now expected by October 31,Krishan Kumar,principal secretary, water resources, informed the tribunal through an affidavit on October 9. The latest delay comes despite the state's October 2025 assurance that the scientific survey will be completed within 10 months, by August 2026. With the monsoon having ended in the last week of September, the continued delay raises questions about Punjab's preparedness to identify flood-prone areas along the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, and plan long-term mitigation measures before the next rainy season. The urgency is underscored by the devastating floods of August and September 2025, when exceptionally heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers inundated hundreds of villages and thousands of acres of farmland. The disaster claimed lives, displaced residents and damaged roads, bridges, agricultural land and public infrastructure, with losses estimated at nearly Rs.13,000 crore. Scientific floodplain demarcation uses high-resolution satellite and drone imagery and computer-based hydraulic simulations to identify areas susceptible to inundation. The matter is being heard in an original application filed by Karnvir Thamman, a social activist from Banur, Mohali. During the April 15, 2026, hearing, the NGT had pulled up the Punjab government for failing to provide either the progress achieved or a firm timeline for completion. Meanwhile, the state has awarded the floodplain-zoning contract to Geo Climate Risk Solution Pvt Ltd, issuing the letter of acceptance on September 28. However, the agency's 60-day deadline will begin only after it receives the complete dataset from the Survey of India. The zoning exercise will use the HEC-RAS hydraulic model and take into account the highest flood level recorded over a 100-year period. October 31, therefore, is only the revised target for submission of the remaining data for Harike, not the deadline for completing the entire exercise. Hence, Punjab's floodplain demarcation is set to stretch months beyond the promised August 2026 deadline....