Chenab River | Pakistan

NAROWAL: A warning was issued on Thursday stating that the water level in the Chenab River will rise by more than three metres due to the opening of the spillway gates of the Indian Salal Dam, with a risk of silt flushing at the Marala Barrage. Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Saba Asghar has deployed the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority to monitor the river. She told Dawn that an important advisory had been issued by India in view of possible emergency silt flushing at the Salal Dam on the Chenab River from May 21 to May 30. Asghar added that in view of the rising water level, a high alert had been issued at the Marala Barrage and adjacent areas, especially Bajwat. She also appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary visits to rivers and canals and advised them to take precautionary measures. Additionally, the District Emergency Control Room has been activated, and citizens can contact 0529250011 for more information and guidance, Asghar said. The DC directed all relevant departments to monitor the Chena...

As the Foreign Office sought clarification from India via a letter over a sudden variation in the Chenab River’s flow, the situation is badly affecting wheat and other crops being fed through the Marala-Ravi link and other canals in various parts of Punjab. “The situation is really disturbing as the Chenab River’s control from upstream (India) is being handled by the Indian authorities through various run-of-the-river hydropower projects,” a senior official of the Punjab Irrigation Department said while speaking to Dawn on condition of anonymity. “When India releases the water from dams towards downstream (Pakistan) without informing us, the flow suddenly increases. Sometimes, they hold water for days, reducing flow massively,” he said. He continued, “Once the river inflows recorded at Marala reduced to 1,500 cusecs, leaving us with no option but to stop outflows.” “The situation is very serious and strange for us, as the growers, in several villages, couldn’t water wheat crops due to the lack of water flow t...