Flood data being shared with Pakistan on humanitarian grounds: MEA

Amid heavy rainfall and rising water levels along the border areas, particularly in Punjab, India has been sharing flood data with Pakistan through diplomatic channels, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

Asked whether the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) had impacted cooperation, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified that the sharing of information was continuing, though outside the framework of the treaty.

“We have been sharing high flood data with Pakistan through our High Commission in Islamabad and other diplomatic channels, as and when required. This is being done on humanitarian considerations, given the kind of rainfall and flooding that has been witnessed in the region,” Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing.

Notably, Pakistan has been facing severe flooding in multiple districts since the monsoon season began and has so far claimed more than 850 lives while simultaneously displaced more than 10 lakh people.

The flooding in low-lying areas along the India-Pakistan border has caused concern on both sides, with authorities closely monitoring river systems swollen by incessant rain.

Reportedly, in the last 10 days, the Indian government has twice shared the hydrological data with Pakistan, which was duly reported by Pakistan media.

MEA sources have stressed that the arrangement was meant to ensure timely communication in view of the current flood situation and was not linked to the IWT, which continues to remain in abeyance.

Following the attack that resulted in 26 civilian casualties, the Indian government took a series of diplomatic and strategic steps, including the decision to hold the decades-old IWT of 1960 in abeyance.

The IWT allocates the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. At the same time, the treaty allows each country certain uses of the rivers allocated to the other. The treaty gives India 20 per cent of the water from the Indus River System and the rest 80 per cent to Pakistan.