Lahore:
Pakistan authorities have published new flooding alerts on Monday after India released a large volume of water in the Sutlej and Chenab rivers without notice, increasing the threat of a serious flood in several Punjab districts.
The officials said that India had bypassed the communication channels established in the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and informed Islamabad only after the Liberation, through the Indian High Commissioner.
The Ministry of Pakistan Water Resources has confirmed high flood levels in Lower Harike and Lower Ferozepur on Sutlej, with water flows since early September.
The Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned that the Sutlej flood waters could affect nine districts: Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Multan and Muzaffargar. The regional sub-salaries were responsible for making immediate preparations.
The Sutlej river is experiencing an extraordinary flow of 253,068 Cuses. Additional precipitation in the upper watersheds and water versions from dams can generate another wave of flooding of up to 300,000 cuses.
In Jassar, the Ravi river is currently flowing normally with 60,094 brackets. However, due to the possible precipitation and the versions of the dam water, the flow rate in Jassar can reach 150,000 brackets. Due to the possible precipitation, the sudden floods are feared in the tributaries of Ravi – Bein, Bansanter and Dek.
The Ravi river has also reached dangerous levels near Renala Khurd, where dozens of villages have been cut. In the district of Khanewal, the flood waters of the Ravi and Chenab rivers have overwhelmed thousands of acres of cultures, forcing mass evacuations.
In Burewala, a wave of 190,000 CUSECs continued to sweep the agricultural land, destroying plantations of cotton, rice, corn and sesame. Several protective reimbursements have collapsed, allowing waters to spread to Sahuja. The Simly Dam spillway was also opened after the water level reached 2,314.90 feet.
In Marala, the Chenab river is currently at a low level with a flow of 94,728 crafts. The rains in Jammu and Indian illegally occupied the Jammu and the cashmere (Iiojk), coupled with water versions from upstream dams, in particular the salal, the baglihar and the dul hasti, will probably cause a strong increase in the flow.
The director general of the PDMA, Irfan Ali Kathia, said that India had released the water from Salal, Nangal and Harike dams, sending a large downstream wave that could hit the Marala head within two days.
In Jhang, Trimmu’s headers recorded flows of more than 550,000 brackets, submerging dozens of villages and cutting road bonds. Crue waters have flooded major roads, including Sargodha Road and Pirkot Masan Road, which prompted the highway managers to deploy heavy machines.
Punjab officials said more than 500 roads and 60 bridges had been damaged in the province.
Provincial Minister of Information, Azma Bukhari, described the situation as “extraordinary”, blaming the sudden liberation of India water to worsen the mousson floods already underway. She said that rescue teams using drones and thermal imagery had evacuated thousands and that rescue operations were underway.
Narowal residents have said that entire roads have taken, insulating communities. In a case, a family returning from the funeral to Lahore was blocked after the only access road to their village was swept away by flood waters. Farmers of several districts said that fodder shortages had left their cattle in danger.
The Punjab and Sindh authorities have promised continuous help and rehabilitation for displaced families. Bukhari urged political parties to put aside disputes and focus on the joint planning of river bed and flood defenses, saying: “This is not the moment of politics”.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) provides for more strengths until September 3 of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Kashmir, warning new sudden floods, landslides and road closings in vulnerable areas. The PMD issued a red warning for heavy rains from September 1 to 3 to 3.
He warned that torrential showers could trigger urban floods in low districts and sudden floods in local watercourses through Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Narowal, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad and the Districts neighbors.
Similar conditions are expected in the areas of Jammu, Bhimber, Mirpur, Kotli, Punch, Haveli and adjacent, where intense showers can also trigger landslides and urban floods.
Vulnerable hilly terrain in the KP, MRIREE, Galliyat and Cashmire risks the risk of landslides and mud shifts which could cause road closings, which prompted managers to advise residents, travelers and tourists to stay away from dangerous locations and to stay up to date on weather alerts.
Meteorologists said the system is fueled by monsoon currents that were walking from Bengal Bay and Oman Sea, as well as western disruption affecting the country’s higher regions, which should persist on Tuesday.
They predicted the rain, the wind and the generalized thunderstorms in cashmere and northeast of Punjab, with an activity dispersed in Islamabad and the upper KP. Strong precipitation is probably in certain parts of cashmere, northeast of Punjab, Islamabad and upper KP, while hot and dry weather should prevail elsewhere.
In the past 24 hours, scattered rains and thunderstorms broke the upper KP, cashmere, northeast of Punjab, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan, while the rest of the country has remained hot and humid. Saidu Sharif recorded 26 mm of rain, Balakot 25, Malam Jabba 16, Garhi Dupatta 24, Kotli 8 and Kasur 9.
In Islamabad, Saidpur recorded 10 mm and Golra 4, while Narowal reported 5 and Rawalpindi Chaklala 3, the Gilgit-Baltistan chilas received 8 mm. Despite the widespread showers, some parts of Balutchistan remained scorching, with Dalbandin recording the highest temperature at 43 Celsius, followed from 42 in Nokundi.
Punjab is already faced with one of the worst flooding pressures in its history.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said that until now, more than 3,100 villages and 2,900 colonies have been flooded, affecting more than 2.4 million people. At least 41 people lost their lives, with eight injured, while thousands of houses and large expanses of agricultural land was destroyed.
The rescue agencies carry out the largest operation in their history, after having evacuated more than 900,000 people in safe locations, as well as more than 600,000 cattle. The cattle department provides fodder and feeds on displaced animals.
However, the ninth spell of the monsoon should bring more precipitation over the next 48 hours, which could worsen the conditions in Nullah Leh from Rawalpindi and other low zones.
Meanwhile, the river waters of the Sutlej river has reached the Ganda Singh border in Kasur, forcing the suspension of the traditional evening flag ceremony held jointly by the Pakistan Punjab rangers and the India border security force (BSF).
According to the managers, the suspension will remain in place until the flood waters fell completely.
They confirmed that the water entering Kasur has flooded parts of the border region, while on the Indian side, the low areas of the Ferozepur district are also affected. Authorities on both sides have agreed to suspend the daily parade for security reasons until the situation standardization.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has planned that a cutting -edge flow of 1.3 million CUSECs could reach the Sindh by September 5.
However, he warned that 1.2 to 1.3 million brackets of India could reach the Guddu dam. Shah noted that 550,000 CUSECs had already crossed the Sukkur and Kotri dams, adding that the dams have the capacity to resist flows up to a million CUSCS.
With the contribution of our correspondent to Karachi
