Pakistan evacuates 150,000 as India plans water release

Pakistan evacuated at least 150,000 people in areas along three rivers in its agricultural heartland to escape flooding, as neighbouring India warned it plans to release excess water from a dam, officials said on Tuesday.

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The neighbours have been ravaged by intense rain and flooding in recent weeks. The release of excess water in addition to heavy rains threatens to further flood parts of Pakistan's Punjab province, which serves as the country's breadbasket and accounts for a large part of its food supply.

The two nations have been in a tense standoff since a brief conflict in May, their worst fighting in decades, and any flooding blamed on New Delhi could inflame ties.

Pakistani officials said they received a second warning from India on Monday that it intends to release water from the rapidly filling Madhopur Dam, on its side of Punjab province.

The forced evacuations started on Friday ahead of the Indian warning and have continued to date, said a spokesperson at Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

The total number also includes at least 35,000 who had left voluntarily after multiple early warnings since Aug.14, she said.

Army troops are also taking part in the evacuation drive.