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Notably, India has officially suspended information-sharing with Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam in April
Flash Floods Ravage Pakistan | File Image
A day after India alerted Pakistan about possible flooding on “humanitarian grounds”, authorities in Punjab have relocated more than 24,000 residents from low-lying areas along the Indus, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers, according to reports.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued a flood warning, cautioning of rising water levels in the upper reaches of Punjab’s rivers over the next 48 hours due to heavy monsoon rains, reported Dawn.
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Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmad said evacuations have been underway since Saturday, as parts of these rivers witnessed low to high flooding from torrential downpours in the catchment areas.
The situation was reported to be most severe at Harike in the Sutlej River, where upstream and downstream areas faced high-level flooding.
The National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) also sounded an alert for the Ravi, warning of a medium-level threat in the coming days.
India Alerts Pakistan
On Monday, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad shared flood-related details with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, stressing that the communication was made purely on humanitarian grounds.
Notably, India has officially suspended information-sharing with Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam in April.
However, a source told Reuters that New Delhi’s recent flood warning was passed to Islamabad purely on “humanitarian grounds” and not under the treaty framework.
The alert followed heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir, which borders Pakistan and feeds major rivers flowing into Punjab province.
The warning came as Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz ordered the evacuation of residents from riverine and vulnerable areas ahead of fresh rainfall forecasts.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has also cautioned that heavy rains may persist into early September, raising the risk of further floods, landslides and agricultural losses.
Pakistan’s monsoon season regularly brings devastation from June to September, with river overflows triggering landslides, infrastructure damage and displacement.
In 2022, unprecedented flooding claimed over 1,700 lives, displaced millions and caused an estimated $40 billion in economic damage.
- Location :
Islamabad, Pakistan
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