Extremely high flood expected in Sutlej

KASUR: Authorities have warned of extremely high flood in Sutlej — one of the eastern rivers entering Pakistan form India — as water level is expected to rise in next 48 hours.

Officials say the water flow may reach 160,000 cusecs at Ganda Singh Wala — a village bordering India’s Firozpur district.

Firozpur city is located around 10 kilometres from Ganda Singh Wala, which used to be a busy border crossing between the two countries.

Currently, the water level at Ganda Singh Wala has crossed 21 feet, with the deluge already disconnecting at least 30 villages from the rest of the country.

It is estimated that standing crops — including rice and maize — on around 3,000 acres have already been destroyed.

Other reports suggest that farmers have lost every crop in 10 of these inundated villages.

As the floodwater inundated the entire villages, the villagers saw their homes submerged, forcing them to take shelter on rooftops.

It must be kept in mind that most of the villages in this part of Kasur are not congested, as people prefer to construct homes on their lands. It is makes farming somewhat less burdensome because they don’t have to travel between the homes and the farms.

Hence, their are several settlements within these villages.

Meanwhile, the villages around Sutlej are very vulnerable to floods, as the river isn’t very deep.

Earlier, India released water into Sutlej without any warning after heavy to very heavy monsoon rains in the catchment areas of eastern rivers during the recent weeks.

As far as the rescue efforts are concerned, over 5,500 locals have so far been shifted to safer locations, with relief camps established in schools.

DEADLY SEASON

With climate change seeming to be “on steroids”, both Pakistan and India have witnessed deadly flash floods this season. The reason is the extreme weather producing heavy to very heavy rains and even cloudbursts.

Read more: Flash flood claims at least 46 lives in Indian Occupied Kashmir, 200 missing

In Pakistan, hundreds of deaths have been recorded especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the worst affected region of the country.

Read more: Buner floods turn wedding celebrations into 24 funerals

However, there has been any major riverine flooding so far this monsoon season.

It’s a developing story. Details to follow