Pakistan has launched a large-scale evacuation operation after India released water from overflowing dams and rivers into low-lying border areas, raising the threat of cross-border flooding. Officials said tens of thousands of people have been moved to safety across Punjab province, with fears of further devastation as monsoon rains continue to batter the region.
The move came after India formally alerted Pakistan about the water release on Monday, marking the first public diplomatic communication between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in several months.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said it had issued an early warning to provincial authorities about rising water levels in the Sutlej River. In Kasur district, more than 14,000 residents were evacuated, while over 89,000 were shifted from Bahawalnagar, near the Indian border, to higher ground. Authorities have urged people to avoid rivers, streams, and low-lying areas, and to closely follow updates from the media, mobile alerts, and the NDMA’s disaster app.
The evacuation drive comes amid widespread flooding across South Asia. In Pakistan’s northwest, over 300 people were killed earlier this month in flash floods in Buner district, which officials blamed on an unpredictable cloudburst. Nationwide, seasonal rains since June 26 have claimed more than 800 lives.
In Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, at least 65 people have died and hundreds have been displaced as rivers and tributaries overflow, inundating homes and damaging infrastructure. Indian officials said floodwaters continue to rise, with rains expected to persist until late Tuesday.
This week’s flood warning to Islamabad was conveyed via diplomatic channels rather than through the Indus Waters Commission, the permanent mechanism under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. The commission’s work has been suspended since April, when India froze engagement following the killing of 26 tourists in Kashmir. The suspension, coupled with strained ties, eventually escalated into tit-for-tat missile strikes in May, halted only after US President Donald Trump claimed to have brokered a ceasefire.
The flooding crisis highlights growing climate risks in the region. Pakistan, still reeling from the catastrophic 2022 floods that killed nearly 1,800 people and inundated a third of the country, has faced multiple cloudburst-driven floods this year. Scientists warn that climate change is fuelling heavier and more erratic monsoon rains across South Asia, raising fears of repeat disasters.
