Image of a Church in Kasur affected by flooding during 2015 deluge in Pakistan.
The Pakistani Meteorological Department has issued a flood alert warning after heavy rainfall in India has meant that all their reservoirs are full.
An expected release of flood waters upstream is expected from today 1st September.
“Currently, all water reservoirs in India have reached the maximum conservation level and it is expected that the showers that are expected on Wednesday
and Thursday would prompt India to release extra water in the rivers, which would likely generate riverine flood in Pakistan,” PMD Director-General
Ghulam Rasul told the Express News.
He added that although India, before releasing water, issues alerts to Pakistan, to be on the safe side it is the responsibility of the Pakistan Meteorological
Department to inform the authorities ahead of time.
Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, Wilson Chowdhry, said:
“The relationship between India and Pakistan has improved somewhat in recent years. Yet despite these more cordial times nothing has been done to rectify the issue of india’s creation of inundation of Pakistan through release of their flood waters. The release of the water during this flood will no doubt create homelessness and cause death, yet a discussion on the cost of human life has not manifested in a joint programme to solve a long term concern about regular natural disaster. I wonder if existing political and cultural tensions are still directing India’s flood defence system and its negative impact on Pakistan.”
“Failures by the Pakistani Government to improve their own flood defence despite a known upsurge in the imapct of flooding over the last 6 years, is indicative of their own poor governance. Some of the British and American infrastructure grants through foreign aid should be directed towards improving the existing system. The death toll continues to rise yet the world ignores this growing plight.”
Pakistan and India share several major rivers including Indus, Jhelum, Chenab and Sutlej all of which stretch across vast expanses of populated Pakistan.
The National Disaster Management Authority, have already reported that monsoon rains have claimed 138 lives across Pakistan this year. Of these
victims; 52 were children, 63 men and 23 were women. The highest number of deaths were reported from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where 52 people were killed,
an area that is almost always affected by the floods.
British Pakistani Christian Association has been helping victims of the last five inundations in Pakistan. Last year they rebuilt seven mud homes
in brick in Bikiwind, Kasur, after floods left a Christian community homeless, hungry and sick.
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