CHANDIGARH: The historic Darbar Sahib Gurdwara at Kartarpur in Narowal, Pakistan, located about 4.5 kilometres from the Indo-Pak international border, is almost completely submerged in floodwaters.
The Kartarpur Corridor has also been inundated following heavy rainfall and the release of a large volume of water into the Ravi River from across the border.
The water level in the Ravi has surged after the excess release of water from the Pong Dam. Visuals from the site show parts of the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara complex submerged.
Within the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara, the steps of the main staircase are underwater, with stagnant water continuing to rise. The mazar located within the complex is reportedly completely submerged, and the samadhi on the ground floor of the shrine has also gone underwater.
The flood situation is equally critical on the Indian side, particularly near Dera Baba Nanak, where breaches in the Dhussi bandh (earthen embankments) have led to flooding in nearby villages due to the overflowing Ravi River. While Dera Baba Nanak has been cut off from the rest of the state, water has not yet entered the town.
The Ravi River flows along the Indo-Pak border near Dera Baba Nanak, and the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara lies across the river in Pakistan. The 4.5-km-long Kartarpur Sahib Corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab's Gurdaspur district in India.
In July 2023, the corridor was closed for three days after rising water from the Ravi inundated the Zero Line at Dera Baba Nanak. However, at that time, water had not entered the Gurdwara.