This is clear to us: the devastating floods, first in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and now in Punjab, this Mosson season is extreme weather events. So why do we hear people on several occasions that Pakistan accuses India of aggravating it by pouring its excess water into our rivers?
To understand how the release of water from the dam, The Express PK Press Club spoke with several experts.
Dr. Hassaan F Khan, an urban water expert at TUFTS University, explained that each dam has two main systems: doors and dumping of regular liberation. Regular doors are used for water supply needs, such as agriculture, and are considered normal versions. “But when a dam fills its maximum capacity, water cannot be retained due to the risk of structural damage,” he said. “At this stage, the spills are open to release additional water. Otherwise, the dam could collapse.”
According to Dr. Hassaan, India has released water from several dams in recent days because they had reached their capacity. “This is what the Indian side claims,” he said. “Although Pakistan cannot check this directly, this is logical given the context. Such versions are not unusual.”
Extreme precipitation and weather conditions played a role in this year’s floods in the region. “India has experienced record rains, especially in Himachal Pradesh, which has sent large flows of water to rivers,” he said. “India has also been forced to release water into the Sutlej and the delight. The Prime Minister Modi had previously declared that India would not even allow a drop of water from these rivers to flow to Pakistan, but when storage is impossible, water must be eliminated. They prefer to store water for use in the low speed season in November and December.”
In response to our question, Dr. Hassaan stressed that there is no evidence that India has deliberately released water to harm Pakistan. “Speculation is possible, but we have never found any evidence of intentional action,” he said. “Since the suspension of the Industry Water Treaty, India has no longer shared detailed data as before. Now, only brief notifications are sent by the Indian High Commissioner, which is inadequate compared to the agreements. The early alert system is much lower now.”
Muhammad Umer Karim, principal researcher and specialist in water resources, explained the cycle of natural hydrology or the water system for this area as a background. “In our region, water freezes in winter in the form of ice and glaciers, then disgust in summer. Combined with monsoon rains, this increases the flows of the river. The fusion glaciers add to this volume. The spills are only open when thedams are full. For the rest of the year, water is gradually removed by canals to drink and irrigation. This moment, Indian damage was too flourishing, which also led to flooding east consumption.
Environment lawyer Ahmed Rafay Alam stressed that the infrastructure of the dams on both sides is “essentially the same”. India has three large dams on Jhelum, Beas and Ravi. Pakistan has Mangla and Tarbela dams. “The two countries store the monsoon and glacier water for winter crops, and the two sets of dams were built by American companies. Their conceptions and operations are essentially the same.”
This year, however, the situation has become critical. “The Pong dam on the Beas, the Bhakra dam on the Sutlej near the Himachal Pradesh, and Madhopur’s head heads on the delight reached dangerous levels between August 23 and 25,” he said. “To protect infrastructure, India has opened the spills, and certain doors of the Madhopur dam even collapsed due to water pressure, causing death. This is what we call a” controlled liberation “of water.”
Alam said that in India, the production of electricity of the dams is controlled by the federal government, but the irrigation and the supply of domestic water are a provincial responsibility. This is why he thinks that New Delhi could have better managed the crisis. “The dam on the Ravi is in the state of Punjab where Congress is strong,” he said. “The federal government led by the BJP has not shared appropriate data or emission warnings.
These experts have said that the main flood waters do not flow directly from India to Pakistan. Instead, they first cross several Indian towns and villages, traveling 100 to 150 km before crossing the border. “The versions of Indian water added to the misery of Pakistan,” said Alam, “but there is no evidence that they were intentional. India itself underwent similar destruction.”
Dr. Dan Daanish Mustafa, professor of geography in water resources at King’s College in London, added: “The release of water occurs when the safe design capacity of a tank is exceeded.
