NEW DELHI (AP) - Intense rains have devastated regions in Pakistan and India, leading to flash floods in Indian-controlled Kashmir's Jammu region. Reports indicate that at least 32 fatalities and multiple missing persons have been recorded due to a landslide affecting a Hindu pilgrimage route. The specific timeline for these deaths has not been clarified.
In Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, authorities on Wednesday requested military support for ongoing rescue and relief operations. Torrential rains have caused significant swelling of major rivers, inundating villages and displacing over 150,000 residents, according to officials. Rescuers successfully evacuated more than 20,000 individuals overnight from areas on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city, where the risk of flooding was pronounced. These evacuations primarily affected those residing along the Ravi River's banks, as noted by Irfan Ali Kathia, the director-general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.
Large-scale evacuations commenced earlier in the week across six districts in Punjab, spurred by above-normal monsoon rains and the discharge of water from overflowing dams in neighboring India, resulting in flash floods in low-lying border regions. Forecasters have warned that rainfall will persist throughout the week, with previous heavy downpours and flash floods in the Himalayan area causing nearly 100 fatalities in August.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the authorities for their swift evacuations, which have mitigated loss of life. He confirmed that relief supplies and tents are being distributed to those affected by the floods. Kathia expressed concerns regarding the rising floodwaters in the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers, which have already submerged many villages in Kasur, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Vehari, and Sialkot districts.
This week, rescuers utilized boats to transport people to safer locations. Notably, India informed Pakistan of impending cross-border flooding through diplomatic channels rather than engaging through the Indus Waters Commission, the established framework under the 1960 World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty. Tensions arose following the commission's suspension after the tragic killing of 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April, prompting Islamabad to assert that India cannot unilaterally abandon the treaty.
The recent flood warnings coincide with rescue operations involving sniffer dogs that search for over 150 individuals reported missing this month, following cloudburst flooding that resulted in over 300 fatalities in three villages located in the northwestern Buner district. Overall, floods have claimed more than 800 lives in Pakistan since late June.
Experts attribute the increased intensity of monsoon rains in South Asia to climate change, raising concerns about a potential repeat of the catastrophic weather events of 2022 that affected a third of Pakistan and led to the loss of 1,739 lives.
