Floodwaters continued to batter the country’s heartland on Thursday, pushing the death toll to 884 and prompting urgent warnings of further havoc in Punjab and Sindh.
Authorities said that to save Multan from being flooded, they are considering breaching the Chenab riverbank. That will allow water to be released into the city’s outskirts so the river’s levels can come down.
Heavy rain in the Himalayas continued to lash Pakistan on Thursday with flooding of homes and highways worsening as major rivers overflowed.
The met office has warned that rain is expected to continue until September 9.
A fierce monsoon season has brought immense destruction in the region this year, killing 880 in Pakistan over the season. Torrential rain has swollen many rivers, spurring authorities in India to release water from dams and further flooding areas on both sides of the border.
The countries share rivers, which flow from India into Pakistan. New Delhi has issued seven warnings to Islamabad about opening dam gates, three in the last 24 hours, officials in Pakistan said.
Irfan Ali Kathia, director-general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters on Thursday that three rivers in Pakistan have been affected by the release of more water from Indian dams.
India opened spillways at the Baglihar and Salal dams on Chenab, citing heavy rainfall in upstream catchments.
Through diplomatic channels, New Delhi also warned Islamabad of releases from the Harike and Ferozepur headworks on Sutlej. Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources issued a flood alert in response.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Punjab has released details regarding water levels at Indian dams. It has warned that water levels at these reservoirs are on a continuous rise.
According to PDMA Director General, the situation is being monitored round-the-clock.
At Pong Dam in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, the water level at the Beas River has reached 1,394.51 feet. Inflow at the dam is recorded at 132,595 cusecs, while outflow stands at 100,000 cusecs.
At Bhakra Dam built at the Sutlej River also in Himachal Pradesh, the water level has risen to 1,679 feet, approaching maximum capacity. Inflow is 95,400 cusecs, while outflow is 73,459 cusecs.
At Harike Headworksat the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas riversinflow has reached 347,500 cusecs, with outflow recorded at 330,677 cusecs. The PDMA stated that both inflow and outflow are rising steadily.
In Punjab, 1.8 million people have been evacuated in recent weeks after floodwaters submerged nearly 3,900 villages.
