Floods Kill Hundreds, Leave Thousands Trapped in Divided Kashmir
Pakistani villagers wade through water to find safe shelters in Pindi Bhatian, 105 kilometers (65 miles) northeast of Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014.Image: K.M. Chaudary/Associated Press Extreme rainfall associated with the seasonal South Asian Monsoon caused rivers to overflow their banks over the weekend in northwest India and parts of Pakistan, killing more than 320 people and displacing tens of thousands from the Himalayan region of Kashmir and eastern Pakistan. The floods have not been as deadly as 2010 floods in a similar area. But the rainfall amounts were comparable, according to scientists. The 2010 floods, which killed about 2,000 and displaced nearly 20 million, were focused on the Indus River. The current flooding is in that river’s tributaries, including the Chenab and Jhelum Rivers. They have become so swollen that their expansion is visible from satellites orbiting the Earth. Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, received a staggering 12 inches of rain in 24 hours on Friday — up to four times higher than the city typically sees during the entire month of September, according to meteorologist Brendan Miller of CNN. Before/after from #PakistanFloods where Chenab & Jhelum Rivers have swelled to over 10km wide. Will flow into Indus pic.twitter.com/ZSGVhHaRaA — Brandon Miller (@BrandonCNN) September 8, 2014 The conflict-ridden region of Kashmir was hardest hit, as several days of downpours wiped out homes and transportation links. Qadirabad, Pakistan records 2nd highest river discharge y’day- over 900k cusecs. Records back to 1947 #PakistanFloods pic.twitter.com/5urPrYhhNt — Brandon Miller (@BrandonCNN) September 8, 2014 The flooding in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir is said to be the worst in at least 60 years, with communication lines cut along with electricity and strategic bridge crossings. In both Pakistan and India, soldiers were aiding civilian rescue operations Monday. Meanwhile in Pakistan, the Chenab and Indus rivers were still rising, which was expected to lead to more flooding. Post by ADGPI – Indian Army. The Kashmir region in the northern Himalayas is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. Two of the three wars the countries have fought since their independence from Britain in 1947 have been over control of Kashmir. 7-day rainfall amounts estimated by NASA’s TRMM satellite, with the area of flooding circled. On Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a letter to his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, offering India’s help in relief efforts to the Pakistan-controlled portion of Kashmir. Sharif issued a statement of his own, saying Pakistan is “ready to help in whatever way possible” in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Modi called the flooding a “national disaster;” he promised the state an additional 10 billion rupees (nearly $170 million) for aid and compensation for those affected. In India’s portion of Kashmir, more than 5,200 people have been rescued, said O.P. Singh, director of India’s National Disaster Response Force. Blankets, medicine and food were being supplied to people stranded on rooftops, he said, as most parts of Srinagar, the region’s main city, were submerged. A map shows the Kashmir Valley. Image: Wikimedia/Opus88888 […]