India Fails to Alert Pakistan as Ravi Floods Inundate Lahore

News Desk

Lahore: Large parts of Lahore and surrounding low-lying areas were inundated after a technical fault developed at India’s Madhopur Headworks on the Ravi River, sending a massive surge of water downstream without prior intimation to Pakistan, officials confirmed on Friday.

According to reports, up to four floodgates at the Madhopur Headworks failed, causing uncontrolled water discharges that submerged agricultural land and displaced thousands of residents.

At Shahdara, near Lahore, water flows reportedly reached 220,000 cusecs, triggering what the Flood Forecasting Division described as an “exceptionally high flood” until Thursday night.

Authorities in Pakistan have raised alarm over India’s failure to notify Islamabad about the malfunction or share timely flood data as required under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Between Sunday and Thursday, India only issued three alerts — one for the Tawi, a tributary of the Chenab, and two for the Sutlej — but none for the Ravi.

Situated in Gurdaspur district near Pathankot, the Madhopur Headworks channels water into the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), irrigating Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and other parts of Indian Punjab.

However, decades of neglect and minimal upgrades have left its 54 floodgates vulnerable, with Indian media also describing the incident as “sheer negligence.”

Local officials there have called for accountability, noting that crores are spent annually on upkeep, while repairs remain delayed until waters recede.

As of Friday, 55,000 cusecs were still flowing into Pakistan, raising concerns of further inundation as more rains are forecast. The crisis has intensified calls for stricter IWT compliance and improved climate-resilient infrastructure to avert future disasters.

When contacted, Pakistan’s Indus Waters Commissioner, Mehar Ali Shah, declined to comment on the Madhopur Headworks malfunction or India’s failure to share flood warnings for the Ravi.