ISLAMABAD, July 7: India on Thursday suddenly released about 566,200 cusecs of water in the river Chenab causing “very high flood situation” in areas adjoining five cities in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Director-general of Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry confirmed this here on Thursday and said India had cited unspecified technical reasons for such releases.

The situation was immediately conveyed by the Pakistan Indus Waters Commissioner to the National Flood Forecasting Centre in Lahore, federal minister for water and power and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Engineering Chief of Pakistan Army.

An emergency has been declared in areas adjoining Sialkot, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang and Chiniot and district coordination officers concerned and the Pakistan Army have been asked to evacuate people from affected areas.

Armed forces and civil defence organizations have already started evacuation of civil population from hinterlands, riverbanks and other sites vulnerable to floods.

The Indian Permanent Indus Commission informed his Pakistani counterpart at 2.30pm that India had released 178,000 cusecs in the river Chenab at Akhnoor and another 388,500 cusecs in Jammu-Tavi tributary due to technical reasons.

Both the peak flows started reaching Head Marala at 5pm and touched 188,000 cusecs against 78,000 cusecs in the morning, said Mr Zaman.

He said there were no significant rains in Chenab catchment areas in the last 24 hours but suddenly India conveyed to Pakistan at 2.30pm about the releases although it had released water at 10am.

He said India was required under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty to provide flood data as early as possible and on emergency basis but did not agree to a suggestion that India had violated the treaty by providing flood information more than four hours later.

“Danger level starts at 400,000 cusecs and flows would cross 550,000 cusecs,” said Mr Zaman. However, he said the Marala Headwork had the capacity to discharge about 900,000 cusecs and there would be no danger to its structure.

He said water from Marala takes about 3-4 hours to reach Khanki and embankments, riverbeds and riverbanks between these two sites were in danger. He said it was a one-time threat and the river flows would return to normal when this flood falls into the sea after about eight-nine days.

He said he was not aware as to how many people would have to be evacuated because the question related to DCOs and army authorities.

An official, who requested not be named, said there were reports that one of the two tunnels that were built by India to divert the river Chenab to construct the Baglihar dam had been washed away and resulted in huge flows to Pakistan.

However, he said, the authorities were trying to fathom out what the technical reasons were.

The official said India should have provided information about the floods soon after the releases but still its information was very useful.

India is required to provide information related to flood situation to Pakistan on a daily basis.