Lower-level flood persists at Kotri Barrage as rains swell Indus River

HYDERABAD: The Indus River at Kotri Barrage continues to experience a low-level flood, with water inflows and outflows rising steadily in recent days, according to the barrage control room.

Officials said inflows at Kotri upstream have reached 236,725 cusecs, marking an increase of 6,850 cusecs in the past 24 hours. Outflows at the downstream side were recorded at 211,870 cusecs, while the four canals off the barrage are collectively discharging 18,000 cusecs.

The control room in-charge confirmed that the situation remains under control and is being closely monitored.

Flows at Tarbela

Meanwhile, at Tarbela, another key point on the Indus, inflows were reported at 179,500 cusecs, while outflows stood at 154,500 cusecs. The river system is under constant watch as rising water levels downstream could add pressure on barrages in Sindh.

Nationwide toll from rains

The continuing surge in river flows comes as Pakistan reels from weeks of heavy monsoon rains. Since August 15, downpours have killed at least 489 people and left 348 injured across the country.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has borne the brunt, with 408 fatalities, while Sindh has reported 29 deaths, Gilgit Baltistan 26, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 21, Balochistan four and Punjab one, according to official figures.

Since the start of the monsoon season on June 26, the nationwide death toll has climbed to 802, with another 1,088 people injured. Of these, 479 deaths were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 165 in Punjab, 57 in Sindh, 45 in Gilgit Baltistan, 24 across Balochistan and Azad Kashmir, and eight in Islamabad.

Authorities have warned that further rains could swell rivers and increase the flood threat, particularly in lower Sindh, where Kotri Barrage acts as the final regulator of Indus waters before they flow into the Arabian Sea.