First contact since May: India sounds flood alarm for Pakistan on Tawi River

India has warned Pakistan about the risk of flooding in the Tawi River, marking the first such communication since the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) earlier this year.

Pakistani daily The News reported on Monday that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad conveyed the alert on Sunday, citing official sources.  

Pakistani authorities subsequently issued warnings based on the Indian input. There has been no official confirmation so far from either New Delhi or Islamabad. The move is significant as it comes against the backdrop of strained ties and the suspension of routine water data sharing following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.  

The IWT, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, allocates the use of Indus system rivers between the two countries. While India controls the eastern rivers - Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej - Pakistan has rights over the western rivers - Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. 

That mechanism was put "in abeyance" after the Pahalgam attack, when India announced punitive steps against Pakistan. With the suspension, India stopped sharing water-level data from the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. This meant Pakistan lost access to early warnings it had relied on to issue timely evacuation advisories for people living in low-lying areas.  

Pakistan is already reeling under a devastating monsoon. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has recorded 788 deaths and over 1,000 injuries between June 26 and August 20. The fatalities include 200 children, 117 women, and 471 men.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province reported the highest toll at 469 deaths, followed by Punjab with 165, Sindh with 51, Balochistan with 24, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with 23, and Islamabad with eight.  

The NDMA has warned of continuing heavy rainfall across much of the country until August 30. The latest alert from India adds to growing concerns in Punjab and Sindh, which lie downstream of the Indus basin rivers.  

On its side of the border, India has also moved into emergency mode. Jammu and Kashmir Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana on Sunday directed officials to ensure round-the-clock monitoring of water levels across the Indus basin's Jhelum, Ravi, and Tawi rivers and their tributaries.  

Authorities have issued advisories urging residents to stay away from swollen water bodies and landslide-prone areas. The India Meteorological Department has forecast moderate to intense rainfall, with the possibility of flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides in high-altitude areas until August 27.  

(With inputs from PTI)