India and Pakistan have been hit by particularly heavy monsoon rains this year.
Bild: KEYSTONE/EPA/SHAHZAIB AKBER
After heavy monsoon rains, India has released water from overflowing dams – triggering mass evacuations in neighboring Pakistan.
India has released water from overflowing dams, triggering evacuations in neighboring Pakistan. Pakistan’s disaster management authority announced on Tuesday that it had warned its colleagues in Punjab province in the east of the country of a rise in the Sutlej River and the risk of flooding. Evacuations have begun there.
The authorities in the Indian capital New Delhi had warned Pakistan a day earlier of possible cross-border flooding because water had been released from dams and rivers in flood into low-lying border regions. It was the first public diplomatic contact between the rival neighbors in months.
Heavy monsoon rains
Emergency services in Pakistan brought around 14,000 people to safety in the district of Kasur in Punjab, according to the authorities. More than 89,000 people were evacuated to safe areas from the city of Bahawalnagar near the Indian border. In the entire province of Punjab, a total of around 150,000 people were brought to safety.
People have also been asked to stay away from rivers, streams and low-lying areas, avoid unnecessary travel and heed warnings, according to the disaster management authority.
India and Pakistan are currently experiencing heavy monsoon rains. Since the end of June, more than 800 people have lost their lives in Pakistan alone.