Pakistan evacuates thousands amid heavy flow of river waters from India

ISLAMABAD

Authorities in Pakistan on Tuesday said they evacuated thousands of people amid rising waters in rivers in northeastern Punjab province due to heavy inflows from India.

In a fresh flood warning, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that water was rising in the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers following heavy rain in Indian-administered Kashmir and other areas in India.

So far, around 150,000 people have been evacuated and moved to safer locations in the Kasur, Bahawalnagar, and Vehari areas of the Punjab province.

An NDMA official told Anadolu that India released water after its dams filled.

“Flooding in all three rivers in Punjab is not only caused by the water released from India but also by heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of Punjab. Both factors are involved in causing the flood,” an NDMA spokesperson said.

New Delhi had on Sunday warned Pakistan of potential floods in the Tawi River after releasing water from its dams following heavy rainfall in the Himachal Pradesh, Indian-administered Kashmir, Punjab, and Uttarakhand regions.

It is the first time since India put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance in April, following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 people dead, that New Delhi has communicated with Islamabad about the water situation in rivers flowing between the South Asian neighbors.

In Islamabad, the NDMA warned that more rain was expected in the next 12 hours in different parts of the country, including the Punjab province, and urged the public to stay away from rivers, drains, and low-lying areas and avoid unnecessary travel.

Pakistan has been facing a new spell of monsoon rains since Aug. 14, bringing heavy downpours and cloudbursts that have caused massive damage in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, leaving around 406 people dead and hundreds of others injured, while 80 others were killed in the Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan regions, as well as in Sindh province.

According to the NDMA, around 800 people have been killed in rain- and flood-related accidents across the country since late June.

- Cloudburst kills 4 in Jammu and Kashmir

At least four people were killed and several structures damaged, and many road links were washed away after a cloudburst struck Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Tuesday, officials said.

The heavy downpour triggered flash floods and landslides across the region.

A district official, Harvinder Singh, told Anadolu that two people died after their house collapsed, and two were swept away by flash floods.

“Currently, there is a heavy downpour; we are assessing the situation, and rescue and relief teams are on the ground,” Singh said.

Reports indicate that over a dozen structures have been damaged in the region. However, officials said that the damage is yet to be assessed fully.

The cloudburst in Doda came close on the heels of similar incidents in Kathua and Kishtwar districts, where over 70 people lost their lives and 25 people remain missing.

Due to incessant rainfall, the authorities in the region have issued warnings of heavy to very heavy rainfall and closed schools and the main highway and issued warnings for possible floods.

*Nusrat Sidiq in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, contributed to this report