LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have launched a large-scale evacuation in Punjab’s border districts after neighbouring India released excess water from overflowing dams and swollen rivers into low-lying regions, raising fears of cross-border flooding.
The move on Tuesday followed an alert from New Delhi a day earlier, marking the first public diplomatic contact between the two nuclear-armed neighbours since their four-day conflict in May.
Thousands Evacuated in Punjab
According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), more than 14,000 residents were evacuated from Kasur district, while another 89,000 people were moved from Bahawalnagar to safer locations. Rescue operations are ongoing across several vulnerable districts of eastern Punjab.
Officials said advance alerts had been issued for a surge in the Sutlej River, while continuing heavy monsoon rains across the region were likely to worsen the situation.
Heavy Monsoon Toll
Since late June, over 800 people have been killed in Pakistan due to rain-related incidents. Authorities fear the toll could rise as rivers and streams continue to swell.
Pakistan’s climate vulnerability has once again been exposed this season, with multiple cloudburst floods hitting the northwestern regions. In Buner district alone, residents reported no advance warning before flash floods killed more than 300 people earlier this month.
Diplomacy and Rising Tensions
The flood alert was shared through diplomatic channels instead of the Indus Waters Commission — the permanent dispute-resolution body under the 1960 World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty. India suspended its participation in the commission earlier this year after accusing Pakistan of involvement in the killing of 26 Indian tourists in Kashmir.
The diplomatic fallout led to heightened military tensions and retaliatory missile strikes in May. The current water-sharing issue adds a fresh strain to already fragile bilateral ties.
Officials stated that the destruction resulted from a sudden cloudburst, which was impossible to predict, and that many of the victims had been residing along natural water channels.
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Sources: Pakistan News Beat Agency!
FAQs
Q1: Why is Pakistan evacuating people now?
Pakistan began mass evacuations after India released water from its overflowing dams, raising fears of flooding in low-lying border regions of Punjab.
Q2: Which areas are most affected?
Kasur and Bahawalnagar districts in Punjab province are among the worst-hit, with more than 100,000 people already evacuated.
Q3: How many people have died in Pakistan due to recent rains?
Over 800 people have died since late June in rain-related incidents across the country.
Q4: What role does the Indus Waters Treaty play?
The treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, set up a permanent commission to manage river disputes. India walked out of the commission earlier this year, blaming Pakistan for violence in Kashmir.
Q5: How is climate change linked to these floods?
Pakistan is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, facing increasingly frequent cloudbursts, heavy monsoons, and river flooding due to shifting weather patterns.
