LAHORE – The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday issued flood alert after India released water into River Sutlej and Alchi dam without informing Pakistan.
The NDMA and PDMA have written letters to Punjab and KP authorities, urging them to stay alert and take precautionary measures to prevent loss of lives.
India opened three spillways of the Ladakh Dam, which has created a threat of flooding in the Sutlej River. “The water level is currently at 14.5 feet and it is feared that between 150,000 and 200,000 cusecs of water could enter the river,” says NDMA in its letter.
Special camps have been set up in Attari, Jamal Kot and Sulemanki. The NDMA says the water level will begin rising at Ganda Singh Wala at around 11am.
It has also alerted the authorities of the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority and district administrations of areas along the Indus River.
The PDMA has written to the deputy commissioners of Kohistan, Battagram, Tor Ghar, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Nowshera and Dera Ismail Khan, informing them that on August 18 evening, India opened outlets of the Alchi Dam unannounced, which can also lead to a flood in the Indus River.
The water will take 12 hours to reach the Tarbela Dam and 15 to 18 to reach DI Khan, wrote the director-general of the PDMA. The dam authorities at Tarbela have been instructed by the NDMA to regulate the inflow and discharge of water to prevent a flood.
Under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, India has to preschedule its spillway openings. PM Narendra Modi’s government has decided to suspend meetings of the Indus Water Commission, which was formed to resolve disputes over water sharing.
Relations between Pakistan and India have been strained since India stripped Kashmiris of the special autonomy they had for seven decades through a rushed presidential order on August 5. Following this, Pakistan resolved to downgrade diplomatic relations with New Delhi and suspended all bilateral trade.
