India releases water into Chenab river in Pakistan without warning
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Vast rural areas of major cities near the Chenab river in Pakistan are facing imminent high flood situation after India without any prior warning on Thursday released 564,000 cusecs water into the river from Baglihar Dam following collapse of one of its tunnels.

The floodwater will hit low-lying areas in Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Jhang, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan and Sukkur districts besides lower Sindh during the next eight days.

Director General Meteorological Office Dr Qamaruzzaman disclosed this during a hurriedly called press conference here Thursday evening.

Experts have warned that this could be very high flood and the heaviest after 1992 in Pakistan’s history that could result in great human and property losses besides destroying crops over vast areas.

Briefing the newsmen, Qamar said that according to a written message received by the India’s Indus Water Commission on Thursday at 2:15pm, India has released 180,000 cusecs water in Chenab river and 378,000 cusecs in its tributary Tawwi, thus allowing 560,000 cusecs water towards Marala headworks.

He said the Head Marala has the capacity for a million cusecs water to pass through.

About 700,000 cusecs water passed through Marala during 1992 floods, he added.

The Met office DG also read out a message received by the Flood Forecasting Division of Meteorological Department Lahore at about 2.30 pm on Thursday.

It says, “According to telephonic information received from Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters, Chenab river at Akhnoor, occupied Jammu and Kashmir, has crossed danger limit due to flash flows as a result of which Chenab at Marala is likely to enter into high flood level. There might be sudden increase in water level in next 12 hours.”

“Around 187,700 cusecs water reached Marala headworks near Sialkot at 5:00pm Thursday and peak of 564,000 cusecs will pass through Marala and Khanki headworks early Friday morning,” Qamar told journalists.

The DG said that the flash flood in Chenab river will pass through the districts of Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sargodha, Jhang, Multan and Muzaffarabad in Punjab before falling into the Indus river at Punjnad upstream and Guddu Barrage during next seven to eight days.

He, however, said that since this is not a rain floodwater, therefore the situation would be normal soon.●