South Asia: India-Pakistan Transboundary Flooding Crisis

In the early hours of December 19, India opened the gates of the Salar Dam in Indian-administered Kashmir without prior notification. Floodwaters surged into Pakistan along the Jhelum River, causing multiple breaches in the Satluj and Ravi rivers’ embankments. In Pakistan’s Punjab province, 14,000 residents in Kasur and 89,000 in Bahawalpur were trapped. A total of 150,000 people were urgently evacuated, with vast farmlands destroyed and preliminary economic losses exceeding $100 million. Pakistan accused India of violating the treaty on transboundary river management. India has not yet publicly responded, escalating the water dispute between the two nations.