Flood alert as Tarbela Dam spillway to open

The disaster management authorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have issued an alert to take precautionary measures regarding flooding before opening the spillway of Tarbela Dam to flush out surplus water and create space for fresh inflow.

A notification issued by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned that the dam's spillway gates would be lifted in the next 24 hours owing to increased water levels, which could cause lower-level flood in the Indus River.

It asked the district administrations in Swabi, Haripur and Nowshera to adopt precautionary measures for the safety of life and property.

The current water inflow in Tarbela Dam was recorded at 243,000 cusecs while the outflow was 136,800, adding that the water level at the dam had surged to 1,511 feet.

The authority also asked people residing alongside the banks of the Indus River to stay vigilant and observe water’s flow in the river, advising them to relocate their animals and essential household items to safer places in case of a water surge.

“In case of any emergency or any untoward incident, people should contact PDMA helpline number 1700 or Rescue 1122,” the notification concluded.

Meanwhile, the PDMA has also constituted an Emergency Flood Control Room in DC Office Haripur to monitor the flood situation round the clock. In addition, all the line departments have been directed to remain on high alert to tackle any emergency situation.

Further, the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) released 300,999 cusecs of water from various rim stations with an inflow of 300,999 cases.

According to the data released by IRSA, the water level in the Jhelum River at Mangla Dam was 1,138.10 feet, which was 88.01 feet higher than its dead level of 1,050 feet whereas the inflow and outflow of water was recorded a 35,094 and 10,000 cusecs, respectively.

The release of water at Kalabagh, Taunsa and Sukkur was recorded at 150,257, 150,257 and 179,498 cusecs, respectively.

Similarly, from the Kabul River, a total of 66,000 cusecs of water was released at Nowshera and 84,999 from the Chenab River at Marala.