India has issued a serious flood alarm after releasing water into the Chenab River without warning.
At the Marala Barrage, the Flood Warning Center has recorded a flow of 180,000 cusecs; forecasts suggest that this could increase to 250,000 cusecs in the next 24 hours.
There are worries about possible high-level flooding downstream as a result of the unexpected release, which has caused a medium-level flood state at Marala Barrage.
From Marala to Qadirabad Barrages, a high-level flood warning has been issued. Katcha communities in Hafizabad, Gujranwala, and Sialkot are especially at risk of submergence due to low-lying terrain.
Similar circumstances were observed by the Indus Waters Commission the previous year, when India released 200,000 cusecs of water. Nevertheless, New Delhi has not responded.
