Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
(This article has originally been done in Newschecker Urdu by Mohammed Zakaria)
As Pakistan grapples with what has been reported as the worst floods in it’s history due to which a third of the country is under water, social media is rife with videos and accounts alleging to show the dire situation in the region.
A 30 second video is among the many being shared on Twitter showing four people , in the middle of what appears to be an overflowing river, trying to hold against the flow of water in an attempt to save themselves from being swept away without success. All four succumb to the flow of gushing water, falling off a cliff. The video is viral on social media along with the claim that it is from the recent floods in Pakistan. Newschecker found these claims to be untrue.
The video has been shared on Twitter by user @PrateekPratap5 garnering 112 likes and 49 retweets along with 9,228 views at last count. The video has been shared along with the caption ‘I request to all the politicians of #Pakistan, don’t think about your politics at this time, think about your people who are going through a lot of difficulties at this time, many people have drowned in #floods and sacrificed their lives. #FloodsInPakistan.’
Newschecker found similar claims on Twitter with different captions.
Fact Check/Verification
We started our investigation by conducting a reverse image search on Google using the key-frames of the viral video to ascertain its authenticity and found a news report by Antena 3 uploaded on their website on 18th July, 2011 titled ‘A torrent washes a family off a cliff in India’ when translated via google translate. The news report contains a longer version of the video. Antena 3 is a 24-hour Romanian news channel which focuses on news programmes and current events, mainly with political and economic topics. Antena 3 became a partner channel with CNN in May, 2020.
According to the article, the video is from Central India.
Using this as a clue, Newschecker conducted a keyword search along with the words “family washed away by flood”, “central india” and “2011” and found a report by India TV uploaded on their website on 22nd July, 2011 titled ‘Patalpani Tragedy Was Man Made’. According to the article, the incident is from Patalpani in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
According to the article, the unexpected surge of water at the falls was caused by opening the floodgates of the Nakheri dam canal system next to the Malendi River and large-scale leaking, carrying the victims away, who had come for a picnic.
According to Dharmchandra Kashyap, the head of the Choral Canal Project, 27 villages close to Patalpani receive water from the Nakheri Dam via canals. The canal runs beside the Malendi river for approximately 22 kilometres after crossing it.
Over 40% of the water is wasted owing to leaks, according to Kashyap, who added that the water resources agency releases a small amount for maintaining the canal.
Between the villages of Malendi and Borkhedi, a flood gate on the canal was wide open. Water instantly gushed from the gate.
The article further mentions, Water Resources Department sub engineer Rajesh Mishra told DNA, “seepage loss occurs as farmers break and cut canal. They sometimes remove the flood gate.”
Within thirty seconds, the river’s level increased, leaving the family of four and their companion little time to flee.
Newschecker also found a report by NDTV uploaded on their website on 18th July, 2011 which contained the same video from a different angle.
Newschecker also found several other media reports, which relayed the same information. The media reports can be seen here and here.
Conclusion
Newschecker’s investigation reveals that the video of a family drowning in a flash flood claiming to be from the recent Pakistan floods is actually from Indore, Madhya Pradesh in 2011.
Result: False
Our Sources
Media Report Published by antena.com on 18 July 2011
Media Report Published by NDTv on 18 July 2011
Media Report Published by India Tv on 22 July 2011
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Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
