ISLAMABAD - Pakistani authorities told villagers to evacuate their homes on Thursday after India released a large volume of water into a river that flows from the Himalayas into Pakistan.
Water from cross-border rivers is a major source of disagreement between India and Pakistan and negotiations on the use of shared rivers are a major component of peace talks betwen the nuclear-armed rivals.
"The situation is serious," the director-general of Pakistan's Meteorogical Department, Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, told Reuters.
The volume of water released from dams in Indian Kashmir into the Chenab river was equivalent to about 566,000 cubic feet per second, he said,
"We are expecting heavy floods in some parts of northern Punjab," he said, referring to Pakistan's most populous province.
Villagers had been advised to leave their homes and troops had been sent to help them, he said. The largest volume of water was expected to reach northern Punjab by late Thursday.
He said India had not given advance warning before releasing the water.
Chaudhry said that India might have faced problems in their own area and would have technical reasons for releasing the water.
"Normally, before releasing any water into our area they inform us in advance," he said.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
