ISLAMABAD: Authorities have set up emergency camps to evacuate people from low-lying areas after India released more than 204,000 cusecs of water into the Sutlej river without any prior warning, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday.
The NDMA further advised districts located along the bank of the Sutlej river to take necessary precautions.
“Relevant district administrations, rescue teams and Pakistan’s army personnel are fully ready to tackle any emergency situation,” Brig. Mukhtar Ahmed, NDMA spokesman said in a statement released on Tuesday.
He added that the water level in the Ganda Singh Wala village, located in the Kasur district, was around 17.80 feet, with 37,640 cusecs of water inundating the area on Tuesday.
A day earlier while talking to Arab News, Ahmed had said that the water levels in the area were continuously rising.
“We have alerted Punjab’s provincial government and relevant district administrations to deal with the situation,” he said, adding that six districts in Punjab, namely Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Lodhran, Vehari and Bahawalpur, “can be affected.”
On Monday, Faisal Vawda, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Water Resources expressed concern after India released the water without any warning.
“Government has deep concern on the overall attitude of India toward the implementation of the Indus Treaty…As per which, India is obliged to provide the information of extraordinary floods,” Vawda said in a statement.
According to the NDMA, the additional water is expected to enter Pakistan today and tomorrow.
Official data provided by the NDMA shows that 220 people have been killed and 163 others injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan since July this year, even as Pakistan continues to deal with flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season which usually runs from July to September.
Pakistan sets up emergency camps, says India releases water into Sutlej
Pakistan sets up emergency camps, says India releases water into Sutlej
- Flood warnings issued for six districts in Punjab province
- Increase in water levels poses a threat to low-lying areas, officials say
At ECO meeting, Pakistan proposes ‘Regional Innovation Hub’ to curb natural disasters
- Pakistan hosts high-level 10th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction in Islamabad
- Innovation hub to focus on early warning technologies, risk informed infrastructure planning
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has proposed to set up a “Regional Innovation Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction” that focuses on early warning technologies and risk informed infrastructure planning, the Press Information Department (PID) said on Wednesday, as Islamabad hosts a high-level meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
The ECO’s 10th Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is being held from Jan. 21-22 at the headquarters of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Pakistan’s capital.
The high-level regional forum brings together ministers, and senior officials from ECO member states, representatives of the ECO Secretariat and regional and international partner organizations. The event is aimed to strengthen collective efforts toward enhancing disaster resilience across the ECO region, the PID said.
“Key agenda items include regional cooperation on early warning systems, disaster risk information management, landslide hazard zoning, inclusive disaster preparedness initiatives, and Pakistan’s proposal to establish a Regional Innovation Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction, focusing on early warning technologies, satellite data utilization, and risk-informed infrastructure planning,” the statement said.
The meeting was attended by delegations from ECO member states including Pakistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Representatives of regional and international organizations and development partners were also in attendance.
Discussions focused on enhancing regional coordination, harmonizing disaster risk reduction frameworks, and strengthening collective preparedness against transboundary and climate-induced hazards impacting the ECO region, the PID said.
ECO members states such as Pakistan, Türkiye, Afghanistan and others have faced natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes in recent years that have killed tens of thousands of people.
Heavy rains triggered catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2022 and 2025 that killed thousands of people and caused damages to critical infrastructure, inflicting losses worth billions of dollars.
Islamabad has since then called on regional countries to join hands to cooperate to avert future climate disasters and promote early warning systems to avoid calamities in future.
