Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated by Pakistani authorities after neighboring India releases water from overflowing dams and swollen rivers into low-lying border regions.
The move on Tuesday was made a day after New Delhi made its first public diplomatic contact with Islamabad since a four-day conflict in May.
At least 800 people have been reported dead in Pakistan since late June as a result of Pakistan’s most recent flood alert and evacuation drive.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan announced that there were ongoing evacuations from various districts in the eastern part of the province in response to a surge in the Sutlej River and the risk of flooding.
More than 14, 000 people were evacuated from Kasur, according to a statement released by rescuers, and about 89, 000 were moved to safer ground from Bahawalnagar, which is close to India’s border.
Additionally, it warned that several Indian states were anticipating heavy rainfall, which could swell rivers and streams heading for Pakistan, according to Pakistan’s Geo News TV channel.
Instead of the permanent mechanism established by the 1960 World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty, which India rejected after it attributed Pakistan’s role in the April 26 tourist deaths in Indian-administered Kashmir, the flood alert was sent to Pakistan via diplomatic channels.
In May, both countries launched missile strikes due to India’s decision and the severing of diplomatic ties.
In recent months, Pakistan, a nation that is extremely susceptible to the effects of climate change, experienced numerous cloudburst floods and more than usual rainfall.
More than 300 people were killed when flash floods hit Buner district in the northwest of the nation this month, according to residents who complained.
Source: Aljazeera
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