Shimla, August 14
The nightmare may have been over with the lake formed in Tibet due to the blockade in Parchu river overflowing steadily over the past 48 hours. But the threat of flashflood will continue to haunt the people living along the banks of the river until the blockage breaches to facilitate safe release of water or attains an assured degree of stability.
There were indications of overflow as water level in the Parchu art Sumdoh, the point where the river enters the country, started increasing early in the morning and became steady after rising by 2 feet. The Chinese authorities also stated that the lake was overflowing from the breach and the quantity of water was expected to increase gradually due to erosion of the blockade at the top.
They maintained that the view of their experts was that the accumulated water should be allowed to get released in a natural way and any measure like blasting the rocks to expedite the process could burst the blockade.
The Chinese authorities also agreed to reply to the queries of the Indian experts regarding the parameters of the lake and other vital information to assess the nature of the blockade. The experts of the Central Water Commission have been asked to carry out a detailed exercise and prepare a list of queries so that all relevant information could be sought in one go.
The Centre has
asked the agencies concerned to ascertain the reason for the increase in the flow of the river. It also asked the state to maintain a high alert until Monday when the situation
would be reviewed.
The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieut-Gen J.J. Singh, accompanied by Lieut-Gen P.K. Grover visited the forward areas along the Indo-Tibet border to review the preparedness of the Army formations in the event of flashfloods.
He directed that the highest state of alert be maintained and information be released in coordination with the civil administration.
