India trashes reports of deliberately releasing river waters causing flood in Pakistan: ‘Baseless and contrary to facts’
MEA referred to statements from Pakistani authorities acknowledging a rise in river levels due to heavy monsoon rain in areas across the border.
India on Friday rejected reports it is “deliberately” causing flooding in Pakistan by releasing river waters and described the allegations as “baseless and contrary to the facts”.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Pakistani media reports alleging that India is deliberately causing flooding is baseless and contrary to the facts.”
“The recent increase in flows in the River Chenab is a direct consequence of intense monsoon rainfall over Jammu and adjoining catchment areas during July 20 to 23,” Jaiswal said, referring to statements from Pakistani authorities acknowledging a rise in river levels in view of heavy monsoon rain in areas across the border.
“Significantly, Pakistan's own flood forecasting division, which is based in Lahore, in its flood advisory issued on July 22 – and let me also give you the time it was issued at 1718 hours local time – attributed the high flood levels in the Chenab river to heavy rainfall over the upper catchment area.”
‘High flows expected to persist’
Jaiswal said the flood advisory from the Pakistani side said that the “high flows at Marala were expected to persist before gradually receding as rainfall over the catchment increased”.
“The rise in river flows is, therefore, a natural hydrological response to heavy rainfall and not the result of any deliberate action by India. Attempts to portray a weather-driven flood event as an upstream intervention are factually incorrect, technically untenable and contradicted by Pakistan's own official flood advisories.”
Jaiswal also trashed allegations in the Pakistani media that India had withheld flood warnings.
“As regards allegations relating to flood warnings, the river flows during this period did not reach extraordinary discharge levels requiring the issuance of special flood warnings,” he said.
Jaiswal said the "observed" flows were consistent with prevailing monsoon conditions over the upper catchments, as acknowledged by Pakistan's own flood forecasting authorities.
"Any suggestion that India deliberately withheld flood-related information is, therefore, without factual basis. Nevertheless, like last year, India will share high-flood data with Pakistan on humanitarian grounds, through diplomatic channels as and when a situation arises," he said.
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