India Issues Flood Alert, Pakistan Evacuates 150,000 People

Darwin, August 27 — Following an early flood alert issued by India, the Pakistani government has evacuated nearly 150,000 people from areas near three rivers. These rivers are located in Pakistan’s agricultural heartland.

Officials stated on Tuesday that Pakistan took this step after India informed them that it would be releasing excess water from a dam.

Both nuclear-armed rival nations have recently been hit by heavy rainfall and severe flooding. If India releases more water, further areas of Punjab province in Pakistan may be submerged. This province is the country’s main food-producing region and a major contributor to the national food supply.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated since a brief clash in May — one of the most serious confrontations in decades. If Pakistan blames India for the flooding, bilateral relations may deteriorate even further.

Pakistani officials reported that on Monday, India unexpectedly informed them that it would be releasing water from the Madhopur Dam, located on its side of Punjab, as the reservoir was nearly full.

India routinely releases excess water from dams once they reach capacity, and this water flows downstream into Pakistan.

An Indian government official said they did not name any specific dam, but warned Pakistan for the second time due to heavy rainfall. The official added that if the rains continued, further warnings might be issued.

On Sunday, India informed Pakistan that heavy rains were causing large volumes of water to enter its river systems.

The Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers flow from Indian territory into Pakistan. Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported on Tuesday that these rivers were experiencing moderate to high flooding.

Mazhar Hussain, an official from Pakistan’s disaster management department, said India would gradually release water from the dam over the next few days. Hundreds of villages along the riverbanks have already been evacuated.

Pakistan’s northwestern region has been devastated by intense flooding. Of the 799 people killed during this monsoon season, about half died in that region.

In the north, glaciers in the Gilgit-Baltistan area have begun melting rapidly, while parts of the southern city Karachi were submerged last week.

The most severe flooding is now feared in the eastern Punjab province, home to half of Pakistan’s 240 million people.

This province produces the majority of the country’s staple food crops and has fertile farmlands along the three rivers.

India’s flood warning on Sunday may have also been influenced by its recent suspension of a long-standing water-sharing agreement with Islamabad under the Indus Waters Treaty. India suspended the treaty following a deadly attack on Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir, for which it blamed Pakistan. The incident led to a skirmish between the two countries in May.

Pakistan has denied the allegations.

An Indian official stated on Sunday that the warning was issued on “humanitarian grounds”, not under the treaty, due to heavy rainfall in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region.

At least 60 people have died from floods in that region in August alone.