PAKISTAN’S eastern Punjab province is dealing with the biggest flood in its history, a senior official said yesterday, as river water levels rise to all-time highs.

The country’s disaster management authority said 849 people have been killed and 1,130 injured nationwide in rain-related incidents since June 26.

Global warming has worsened monsoon rains this year in Pakistan. Downpours and cloudbursts have triggered flash floods and landslides across the mountainous north and northwest in recent months.

Residents in eastern Punjab have also experienced cross-border flooding after India released water from swollen rivers and overflowing dams into Pakistan’s low-lying regions.

The senior minister for the province, Maryam Aurangzeb, told a press conference yesterday: “This is the biggest flood in the history of the Punjab. The flood has affected two million people. It’s the first time that the three rivers — Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi — have carried such high levels of water.”

Local authorities are using educational institutions, police, and security facilities as rescue camps, she said.

“The Foreign Ministry is collecting data regarding India’s deliberate release of water into Pakistan,” added Ms Aurangzeb. There was no immediate comment from India.

India alerted its neighbour to the possibility of cross-border flooding last week, the first public diplomatic contact between the two countries since fighting between them in May.