ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday said that India had informed Pakistan about the imminent flood threat in eastern rivers through diplomatic channels, not the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
It may be recalled that the IWT bounds India to share all the data and information related to water flow in both western and eastern rivers to Pakistan on regular basis.
That’ why the Foreign Office said New Delhi didn’t pass on the information to Indus Water Commission — officially known as Permanent Indus Commission — as required under the IWT.
In this connection, it reminded the world that it was mandatory for India to fulfil all the sections of of the IWT — the arrangement brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960 by Pakistan and India.
Moreover, the Foreign Office also talked about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to make the IWT dysfunctional after the Pahalgam attack, which later led to the four-day Pakistan-India war in May.
“India’s unilateral announcement to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty is a [clear] violation of law.”
About the consequences of the move, the Foreign Office warned that suspending the IWT could lead to negative effects on peace and stability in South Asia.
‘HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS’
Also on Monday, Reuters an Indian government source told Reuters that India shared a warning on possible flooding with neighbour Pakistan on “humanitarian grounds” and not under the water-sharing Indus Waters Treaty between the old enemies.
The warning was shared on Sunday by the Indian high commission in Islamabad, the source said. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
FLOOD ALERT
Amid these developments, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday said Ravi River could be in medium flood during the next 48 hours.
With the heavy rains in the catchment areas, the Thein Dam, the NDMA said, had been filled up to 86 per cent of its capacity, as more rains are expected in the region in the coming days due to the current monsoon spell.
The Thein Dam, officially known as the Ranjit Sagar Dam, is a hydroelectric and irrigation project on Ravi River, located on the border of the Occupied Kashmir and Indian Punjab.
Moreover, flood in local streams and nullahs would also increase water flow in Ravi, the NDMA said.
Separately, the Tawi River — which originates in Occupied Kashmir and later joins Chenab River at Marala Headworks in Sialkot, Pakistan — may also attain flood level that will affect border areas.
On the other hand, Sutlej — another eastern river — has already inundated parts of Kasur, with the floodwater now starting to affect the areas in downstream.
