South Asia is drowning again. Torrential monsoon rains have triggered catastrophic floods across India and Pakistan, submerging towns, displacing families, and claiming lives on both sides of the border. But amid the humanitarian tragedy, a familiar political storm is also raging ,this time over who bears the blame.
Pakistan’s Accusations Against India
Pakistani officials, including Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, have accused India of deliberately worsening the floods by releasing excess water from its upstream dams without providing timely warnings.
They argue that this sudden water discharge has intensified flooding in eastern Punjab province, where homes, farmland, and livelihoods have been washed away. The accusations follow the suspension earlier this year of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a six-decade-old agreement that once ensured the sharing of real-time hydrological data between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Without the treaty’s mechanisms in place, Pakistani leaders say they are left blind to crucial water flow information, making it harder to protect vulnerable communities.
Experts Reject “Water Weaponization” Claims
While the political rhetoric grows sharper, hydrology and climate experts caution against framing the disaster as an act of aggression. Instead, they highlight three critical realities:
- Monsoon rains are intensifying: Both India and Pakistan experienced record-breaking rainfall this season, with precipitation levels far beyond historical norms. Climate change is making such extreme weather events more frequent, leaving infrastructure unable to cope.
- Dams must release water to survive: Once reservoirs reach their maximum capacity, operators have no choice but to release water to avoid catastrophic dam failure. Experts emphasize this is a flood management necessity, not an offensive maneuver.
- Both nations are suffering: Entire villages in northern India were already submerged before floodwaters crossed into Pakistan. As analysts note, “India would have to drown itself first to weaponize water against Pakistan.”
Shared Crisis, Missed Cooperation
Analysts argue that the political blame game obscures the real problem: both India and Pakistan are underprepared for climate-driven disasters. Aging dams, fragile embankments, poor urban planning, and slow disaster response systems have left millions vulnerable.
Instead of confrontation, experts say this crisis underscores the urgent need for cross-border cooperation in:
- Climate adaptation and disaster management
- Modernizing water infrastructure
- Restoring channels of data-sharing
A Test for the Region’s Future
The floods are a humanitarian emergency, but they also reflect a deeper question about the region’s future. Will South Asia’s governments continue to weaponize water politically, or will they recognize the shared threat of climate change as a force that transcends borders?
For the farmers in Punjab, the families in submerged villages, and the countless displaced people on both sides of the border, the answer cannot come soon enough.
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