KASUR: On Tuesday, two young men from Ludhiana, India, were carried away by the floodwaters of the Sutlej River and ended up in Pakistan, as reported.
The Indian youth, identified as Ratan Pal and Harvinder Sindh, were arrested by the Paramilitary Rangers after they became stranded at Ganda Singh Wala, which is across the border in Pakistan.
There was another person who had also drifted into Pakistan due to the river’s strong currents, but their identity remains unknown.
The recent floods were caused by India releasing over 2,00,000 cusecs of water downstream into the Sutlej River in Pakistan. The decision to release the water was made due to continuous rains in the catchment areas of the river. Water from the Harike and Ferozepur waterworks in River Sutlej was discharged into the downstream areas.
It’s worth noting that Pakistan faced its worst flooding in 1988 when the two eastern rivers, Ravi and Sutlej, overflowed, causing widespread devastation to crops and livelihoods over thousands of acres.
As of now, the water level in Chenab is surging at Punjnad headworks, with an inflow of 55,053 cusecs and an outflow of 39,953 cusecs at the waterworks.
Natural disasters like flooding can have severe consequences on people’s lives and properties. The incident of these Indian youth being swept into Pakistan highlights the importance of managing water resources and coordinating measures between neighboring countries to mitigate the impact of such events.
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Authorities on both sides of the border should work together to ensure the safety of their citizens and take precautionary steps during times of heavy rainfall and flooding. Such collaborative efforts can help minimize the risk to human life and prevent further incidents of people getting caught in the raging waters of rivers like the Sutlej.
