New Delhi, September 2 – India has alerted Pakistan about a high risk of flooding in the Sutlej river, following continuous heavy rainfall in northern states that forced authorities to release excess water from major dams. The warning, officials confirmed, was shared with Islamabad on humanitarian grounds through the Ministry of External Affairs.
Last week, India had already issued three similar alerts for possible flooding in the Tawi river. The latest warning points to the likelihood of floods in the Sutlej on Wednesday. In Punjab, rivers including the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, along with several seasonal rivulets, are currently in spate due to heavy rains in their catchment areas.
India suspended the routine exchange of hydrological data with Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which claimed 26 lives, most of them tourists. Despite this suspension, the fresh alerts were passed on solely to prevent potential loss of lives and property across the border.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, has long defined the framework for sharing river waters between India and Pakistan.
