Chenab Flood to Worsen as India Releases Water from Baglihar, Salal

Lahore – Water levels continued to rise at Trimmu and Muhammad Wala on Sunday as the exceptionally high flood in the Chenab River threatened Jhang, Multan, and adjoining areas.

According to officials, India released water from Baglihar and Salal dams in Occupied Kashmir without prior intimation, sending an expected 800,000 cusecs downstream. Authorities fear the inflows could swell to 900,000 cusecs at Panjnad — the confluence of Punjab’s five rivers — and reach up to 1.1 million cusecs when joining the Indus River in Sindh.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that the floods have already claimed 33 lives and inundated over 2,200 villages, destroying standing crops across Punjab. Officials described the situation as unprecedented, with three rivers — Chenab, Sutlej, and Ravi — simultaneously in high flood for the first time in history.

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The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Met Office have also warned of more heavy rains in northern catchments, raising fears of further flash floods and urban flooding in multiple regions, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited flood-affected districts, overseeing relief efforts and rescue operations, including the evacuation of families and even a 20-day-old infant.