Pakistan is witnessing one of the worst floods of the decade, with several areas of Lahore inundated, forcing emergency evacuations. The rivers, Chenab, Sutlej, and Ravi, breached the banks, causing a rise in water levels. As per reports, the floodwaters affected over 1.46 million people across the Punjab province, and extremely high floods in the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers have also resulted in the loss of 17 lives.
However, rather than address its core issues, including systemic flaws and climate management, Islamabad is focusing on blaming India for its plight, accusing India of “sharing only three flood alerts” and “failure of floodgates in Madhopur Headworks in Punjab”.
This is despite India promptly alerting Pakistan via its High Commission about the possibility of flooding in Tawi and Sutlej.
Pakistani media is echoing the narrative, pinning the blame on the alleged technical fault at the Ravi headworks in India. According to Geo News, this was “causing a surge of water downstream that worsened the flood situation in low-lying areas.” It also accuses India of failing to “notify Pakistan about the floods in the Ravi River or inform authorities regarding the technical issue with the Madhopur Headworks.”
The report further added that up to four floodgates of the Madhopur Headworks failed, adding that 54 floodgates at Madhopur Headworks saw only minimal upgrades over the years.
However, senior officials of the Punjab Water Resources Department told Punjab Jagran that these gates were oiled and greased before the start of the rainy season, but the heavy rains in the Jammu region on August 25 brought a lot of silt, which came through the Ujh river and other ravines and got stuck near all the gates.
Despite the claims, Mehar Ali Shah, Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters, did not comment on the alleged malfunctioning of Madhopur Headworks and its impact on flooding downstream.
Even Pakistani officials are sticking to the same narrative, which many believe is an attempt to take up India’s abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan is plagued by constant floods due to its non-existent building laws and an improper drainage system. According to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), about 30% of deaths from this year’s monsoon season are from houses collapsing.
