Chenab River swells after floods in occupied Kashmir, 11 dead

The River Chenab surged to nearly 180,000 cusecs following torrential rains in India-occupied Kashmir, leading to at least 11 deaths and prompting flood warnings across Pakistan. The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department anticipates low to medium flooding in the Chenab and Ravi rivers over the next 24 hours.

In a tragic incident in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Kotli district, a woman and her two children were killed when a landslide buried their home. The increased water flow pushed the River Chenab into a medium flood category, according to the Punjab Irrigation Department. Officials noted that India had not provided advance notification of upstream river flows.

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Sunday was a surprising day for us, as we unexpectedly received a massive volume of water from India due to torrential rainfall in India-occupied Kashmir, raising the Chenab’s flow to around 180,000 cusecs for nearly two to three hours.

The FFD warned that an approaching westerly wave combined with an active monsoon system from July 20 to 24 could drastically raise water levels in major rivers. High flooding is predicted for the River Chenab at Marala, the River Jhelum upstream of Mangla, and associated tributaries. The FFD also cautioned about high flows in the River Kabul and potential flash flooding in hill torrents and streams across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan, as well as urban flooding in several Punjab cities.

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We were expecting rainfall there from July 21 onward, but the surge came unexpectedly.