The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned of floodwater from the Indian mainland and occupied Kashmir flowing rapidly towards Pakistan.
“The upper catchments of the Sutlej are in Himachal Pradesh, in India. In this area, there are two dams which were filled prematurely due to high temperatures,” an NDMA official said during a televised briefing.
“Free-flooded water has flowed into the Beas and Sutlej rivers. The flow is over 100,000 cusecs along the Beas,” the briefing added. “There is a flow of 50,000-80,000 cusecs in the Beas heading towards Pakistan.
“At the hydraulic structure in Hariki, there is a flow of 300,000 cusecs. Water from here flows to Kasur and reaches Ganda Singh Wala,” the briefing added. “There is an exceptionally high flood in Ganda Singh Wala and a high flood in Sulemanki, which is why there is flooding in Pakpattan and Vehari.”
The NDMA added that there has been unusually heavy rain and high temperatures in the upper catchments of the Ravi River, which are in occupied Kashmir. The dams have filled and a free-flow flood of 100,000 cusecs is headed for Pakistan, the briefing stated.
“We are also expecting that on September 4, water from the Sutlej, Chenab, Ravi and Jhelum will gather at Panjnad, which is the region of Bahawalpur, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh.”
