LAHORE, Aug 19: Spilling of a glacial lake in Tibet into the Sutlej river will not affect Pakistan, as water can be absorbed in an Indian dam on the river or over its Himachal Pradesh province.
This was stated by chief meteorologist Shaukat Ali Awan while talking to Dawn on Thursday, indicating that Pakistan had also received warning of the spillage from Nepal-based ICIMOD (Integrated Centre for International Mountain Development) that is creating Hindukush-Himalayan Flood Information System on Dec 13.
"Since then we are in constant touch with the Indian authorities and according to their information flooding of the river does not pose any threat to Pakistan where the river enters from the Ganda Singh border," he said.
The Indian Himachal Pradesh and Punjab states are on the alert and thousands of people shifted after China warned that water from the glacial lake in Tibet could spill into northern India.
Describing the nature of the spillage, Mr Awan said it was coming from a 35-meter-deep lake formed in the Tibetan region in China due to the blockade of water flow by mud-sliding.
The water from the lake would first enter the Sipti river, which added to the Sutlej. "India has Pong Dam over Sutlej, which is half empty and will absorb the water flow," he quoted the Indian authorities as observing.
He said the flow in Sutlej would take five days to reach Pakistan after passing through Himachal Pradesh and the spillage, if any, would be absorbed there (India). "We have been getting minute-to-minute reports from the Indian Commissioner of Indus Water on telephone and fax since the receipt of the information from the ICIMOD," he said.
The authorities in Pakistan too were being conveyed the latest reports and as such there was no danger of any devastation in the country, Mr Awan said. He said the river on the Pakistan side was almost dry and would absorb the flow if some portion of it reached here.
