China’s info blockade triggers Sutlej

The flow is also monitored at Khab where the Sutlej has been dammed to generate 1,500 MW of power for the Nathpa-jhakri hydel project.

The Himachal Pradesh government constantly monitors the flow in the Pareechu through its department of science and technology. The lakes formed in the catchment areas of rivers originating from Tibet are monitored using satellite imaging. Monitoring the river’s flow is crucial to minimise damage in case of flooding. The Pareechu wreaked havoc on June 26, 2005, when a glacial lake was formed after its course was breached.

The lake, the size of 20 football grounds, burst, flooding the Sutlej. The water washed away the strategic Hindustan Tibet road or National Highway 22 at a number of places. Ten bridges and 11 ropeways were swept away. Fifteen bridges were damaged on the 10-km stretch of the highway between Wangtoo and Samdoh alone. Though no loss of life was reported, 5,000 people were evacuated under the army’s Operation Varuna. The total loss due to flooding was pegged at ~800 crore.

The Pareechu originates in India and meanders through Tibet before merging into the Sutlej at Sumdoh. The glacial lake was formed in 2004 after a landslide blocked the flow and it burst on June 26, 2005.

The “chicken’s neck” area of the border in Jammu, near Makwal and Kanachak posts of the BSF, is also being pounded by the Pakistani forces, which was untouched until now.

Senior BSF and home ministry officials termed the situation along the 190km international border in the Jammu area as “very tense”, hinting at an escalation in tension. Pakistani soldiers are firing heavily along the entire stretch since Monday evening.

According to BSF officers, the Pakistan Rangers has refused to attend a flag meeting. Sources said Indian forces have seen movement of senior commanders of the Pakistan Rangers and the country’s army in the forward areas. “These visits, as we understand, are being undertaken by Pakistani commanders to motivate their troops who are getting some good pounding from the Indian side and it is also understood that many of their personnel have been hit fatally or have been wounded,” said an official, who doesn’t want to be named.

Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has warned that any Indian “aggression” or “misadventure” will always get a befitting response.

“Our commitment to abide by the ceasefire agreement of 2003 should never be misconstrued as response limitation,” he said.

All the BSF border posts in the Jammu area have been put on high alert and senior commanders have been asked to be at the front at least for about a week, officials said.