India releases water in Chenab River, says PDMA Punjab

LAHORE: India has released around 2,50,000 cusecs of water in Chenab river, citing PDMA Punjab ARY News reported on Tuesday.

A spokesperson of Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has said that Chenab has been in medium flood at Maralla headworks.

Many cities in Punjab are expected to receive spells of heavy rain on Tuesday while Chenab and Ravi rivers will be flooded as an incessant downpour in India’s northern states has increased the water discharge towards downstream areas.

The PDMA has issued an alert that India has also released water in River Sutlej.

The authority said India released 70,614 cusecs of water from Harike headworks in the Sutlej River. The water will enter in Pakistani territory from Kasur.

“There is likelihood of low flood at Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan and Vehari”, PDMA spokesman Tasawwur Chaudhry said. “Relief camps have been set up for the localities adjacent to riverbanks,” PDMA stated.

India had earlier discharged water in Ravi River at Jassar and 61,000 cusecs water flow was entered in Pakistan, PDMA said.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in a report has stated that recent monsoon rains have killed 86 people and injured 151 across Pakistan since June 25.

NDMA data shows that so far 86 deaths and 151 injuries to people have been reported, which includes 16 women and 37 children, whereas 97 houses have also been damaged as torrential rain continued to play havoc across the country.

Punjab has most number of deaths in heavy rains with 52 people lost lives, while 20 died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and six killed in Balochistan, the NDMA report read.

In April, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) predicted that there is a 72% chance of devastating floods in Pakistan this year.

In a briefing to Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Inam Haider said that the rapid increase in the temperature, glacier melting, and early monsoon can result in floods.