ISLAMABAD: Authorities have sprung into action after a “very high level” of flooding in the Sutlej River in Pakistan’s Punjab province, officials said on Sunday, following the discharge of hundreds of thousands of cusecs of floodwater into the river by India.
The flow of water at the Ganda Singh Wala Barrage in Pakistan’s Kasur district is recorded at 245,000 cusecs, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The flow of water has reached 122,000 cusecs at Sulemanki Headworks and is expected to exceed 200,000 cusecs on Sunday. Water flow at Islam Headworks remains 31,872 cusecs.
“There is a risk of very high level of flood in Islam Headworks from August 22,” a PDMA spokesperson said in a statement.
The local administration in districts adjacent to the Sutlej River has been put on high alert and all institutions are on stand-by to deal with any emergency situation, according to Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed.
“Twenty-four-hour monitoring process is underway at the PDMA control room,” he said. “District Emergency Operation Centers, including Rural Reporting Centers, are also fully functional.”
Javed said there was no shortage of resources in any district and authorities had established relief camps in flood-prone areas. “The protection of life and property of citizens is our foremost responsibility,” he added.
Pakistan is currently witnessing monsoon rains that began in late June. The showers have triggered flash floods in several areas and claimed more than 200 lives so far this year.
The rains have returned a year after climate-induced downpours swelled rivers and inundated at one point a third of the South Asian country, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damage in cash-strapped Pakistan in 2022.
