Kartarpur Flooded! 100+ Trapped in Cross-Border Crisis

Severe flooding from the Ravi River has inundated the Kartarpur Corridor, including the revered Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, leaving over 100 people stranded, according to officials. The deluge, triggered by heavy rainfall and water releases from India, has submerged the entire Kartarpur Corridor complex in Narowal district, disrupting access to this significant religious site.

Saifullah Khokar, head of the Kartarpur Corridor Project Management Unit, confirmed to PTI that the complex, including Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, is underwater due to high flood levels. Rescue operations are underway, with boats and a helicopter deployed to evacuate stranded officials. Narowal Deputy Commissioner Hasan Raza reported that the Ravi River, which has a capacity of 150,000 cusecs, was flowing at 155,000 cusecs at Kot Nain in Shakargarh tehsil, exacerbating the crisis.

The flooding follows India’s release of water into the Ravi River, with a flood warning communicated to Pakistan on Sunday via diplomatic channels on “humanitarian grounds.” This marks the first official contact between the two nations since a four-day conflict in May, following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025. The attack prompted India to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, halting routine flood alerts typically shared through the Indus Water Commission.

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The floods have also devastated thousands of acres of farmland, destroying rice crops and animal fodder. Heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours, combined with overflow from drains in Auj, Bayan, and Dek, has inundated villages, forcing nearly 200,000 people across Punjab to evacuate to safer areas by Tuesday. Authorities continue to issue warnings as water levels rise in eastern rivers, signaling an ongoing humanitarian challenge.

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