New Delhi, Jul 24: New Delhi on Friday rejected Pakistan’s allegations that it had deliberately caused flooding across the border, describing the claims as “baseless” and contrary to facts.
Responding to a question during the weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the recent rise in the flow of the Chenab river was a natural consequence of intense monsoon rainfall over Jammu and adjoining catchment areas between July 20 and 23.
“Pakistani media reports alleging that India is deliberately causing flooding are baseless and contrary to the facts,” Jaiswal said.
He noted that Pakistan’s own Flood Forecasting Division in Lahore, in an advisory issued on July 22, had attributed the high water levels in the Chenab to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment and had forecast that the high flows at Marala would gradually recede as rainfall decreased.
“The rise in river flows is, therefore, a natural hydrological response to heavy monsoon 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,” the MEA spokesperson said.
Rejecting allegations that India had failed to issue flood warnings, Jaiswal said the river discharge during the period had not reached levels requiring any special flood alert.
“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,” he said.
Jaiswal added that, as in the previous year, India would continue to share high-flood data with Pakistan on humanitarian grounds through diplomatic channels whenever such a situation arises.
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