LAHORE:
Misleading information provided by India regarding water flows in Rivers Chenab and Jhelum resulted in aggravating damage in 14 districts during floods this year, a post-flood report of the Irrigation and Power Department says.
High floods hit the two rivers between September 5 and 17 inundating 1,241 villages and 2.1 million acres of land in 14 districts. As many as 248 people lost their lives in the calamity.
India is required under the Indus Waters Treaty to provide information on all gauges and discharges on Rivers Ravi, Sutlej and Beas, Chenab and Jhelum during the flood season, says the report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune.
However, it says, India provided confusing data to the Pakistan Commissioner of Indus Waters.
The department recommended that the issue be taken up with Indian authorities to avoid such losses in the future.
It said encroachments in drains also added to flood losses.
Palkhu Nullah enters the province at Line of Control (LoC) near Vains village in Sialkot – it drains out into River Chenab at Khanki Headworks. The stream has a discharge capacity of 1,980 cusses. This year it received up to 48,500 cusecs during the flood season, the report says.
Aik Nullah enters the province through Umeranwali village of Sailkot. It discharges water into Palkhu Nullah. The discharge capacity of the drain is 20,000 cusecs; it received 44,386 cusecs on September 6.
Old bridges, a siphon, a super passage and encroachments proved bottlenecks in flow of water and caused a flood in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Wazirabad, the report says.
Deg Nullah originates in Jammu and Kashmir near Lehri and enters Pakistan at Jangu tehsil of Zafarwal.
Its discharge capacity is about 12,000 cusecs but it received 75,000 cusecs at Kingra Bridge on September 6.
The flood from the drain inflicted huge losses in Zafarwal, Pasrur, Daska, Kamoke, Muridke, Ferozwala and Sheikhupura.
The department has recommended that flood forecast system be improved. It has also called for enhancing the capacity of storm drains.
It has said maintenance of flood protection works should be given due importance in resources allocation irrespective of frequency of floods. The government should use modern technology to check the health of flood embankments, the report says.
It stresses the need for an effective liaison among the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the Irrigation and Power Department, the WAPDA, district administrations, the army, police, the National Highway Authority, Pakistan Railways and public representatives to avert flood losses.
The department has also recommended that river engineering and flood management should be taught at universities to better deal with flood disasters in the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2014.
COMMENTS (20)
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Then how the dream of SAARC satelite will be realised ?? Natural disaster is challenge to entire mankind it has nothing to do with particular country . continent , cast ,colour or creed . It is a joint responsibility of world community to handle it so is in regard with maintaining the environmental balance .
Had no idea that indo pak relations were really this good, that Pakistan took info provided by none other than India as gospel truth! They certainly stand ruined now!
If suppose India informs Pakistan before releasing flood water then the most important question rises here,id est,what steps/measures Pakistani leadership has taken to control the disasters of the next expected floods in August-September 2015 or just accusing Indian government of miscommunicating and misleading from releasing when and the exact figures of flood water or as usual Pakistani government shall destroy the small security lines of small cities to secure the big cities and VVIP areas of Pakistan and why the dams' construction's issue has been the matter of life and death for the Pakistani politicians??????
Don't forget Indus valley civilization have been wiped out from the map in the past and now it may happen again . So don't play blame game in this respect as well . Nature is looking at the culprits an can take revenge at any moment , Manage your water as well as population otherwise glaciers are melting at your heads due to climate change at Himalayas to handle the HIMALAYAN BLUNDER OF THE PAST ??
India it self didn't have enough weather info: Srinagar flooded badly. India was very cautious with any Jehlum river measurements/ measures because of constant Pakistani protests connected to the IWT.
Pakistan must construct Dams on these rivers to arrest floods sufficient cheap power and can alsoprovide water for thirst Thar by lining canals.
Pakistani water works minister confirmed that India had provided timely data. But the failure of the Pakistani administration, especially the officers, to decipher it correctly and take preventive action that created the problem floods. This was said by the federal minister on the Geo TV show 'Capital Talks'. But its our attitude to blame all our failures on India, that has led to this statement.
India is to blame for polio, taliban, NS being elected, flooding, etc. We all know this to be a "fact", Pakistani's are so innocent. BUT do not worry your days are coming and they are not too far away. Then with all honesty you will say India is at fault and you will be right.
The pakistanis did not understand the data because they were reading it from right to left. Dang madrassa education.
' Nach na jaane, aangan teda' A clear case of not knowing how to interpret the data by hydrological department in Pakistan
Maybe the officials were confused because they didn't have the skills to interpret the data.
Dams are needed for flood management. But Pakistan doesn't want India to build dams as it might help India win over Kashmiris.
"These data shall be transmitted monthly by each Party to the other as soon as the data for‘a calendar month have been collected and tabulated, but not later than three months after the end of the month to which they relate: Provided that such of the data specified above as are considered by either Party to be necessary for operational purposes shall be supplied daily or at less frequent intervals, as may be requested. Should one Party request the supply of any of these data by telegram, telephone, or wireless, it shall reimburse the other Party for the cost of transmission"
How the data were confusing? Has Pakistan filed any case against India at International courts? Both countries should stop confusing their citizens. Decide no of issues pending since partition and then decide priority and resolve it. Till now Indian and Pakistan has not been able to resolve any issue, even IWT came with the help of World Bank.
if Shimla agreement is obsolete then so is the IWT
"Confusing Information". Really????
These two statements pretty much sums up the gist, not quite sure if this is the first time Indian sent any data to Pakistan under Indus Treaty or if the first time Pakistan blamed India for mismanagement of resources - probably neither.
However, it says, India provided confusing data to the Pakistan Commissioner of Indus Waters.
I work in weather and flood department of India..Here we have various statistcian doing their job to find worst case scenarios..
Why dont pakistanis also employ some foreign statistician as there might not be a statiscian in pakistan....and do something productive like statistics rather than reading that arab books...
Blame everybody else, but me.
As if Pakistan believes in whatever India says. Pakistan sees India as an enemy but relies on India when it comes to saving their own lives. Forget about Kashmir.
even if the indians had provided the correct information - what could we have done? It looks like our drainage mechanism was one-fourth of what was needed to handle the water coming in. Our govt should invest in building efficient drainage and canal facility to provide water to the dried areas of Thar and Balochistan. So much water is being wasted here. This is more important than building metro bus for islamabad.