Satellite images show China ramped up Pakistan dam work in late 2024
India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) after the Pahalgam terror attack seems to have rattled Pakistan, forcing it to urge ally China to fast-track the Mohmand Dam on the Swat river to bolster its water security.On Monday, China's state broadcaster stated that work has been accelerated on its 'flagship' dam project in Pakistan, in response to India's recent threat to cut off water supply.
advertisementIndia Today independently verified satellite imagery showing that construction on the Mohmand Dam project accelerated in September 2024 — months before India suspended the IWT.
Satellite images captured by the European Space Agency showed the Mohmand Dam's main rock-fill embankments taking shape in September last year. Soon after, new structures sprouted nearby for support and auxiliary purposes.The latest satellite image from May 17, 2025, showed a large buildup of cement-like material next to the rock walls, indicating the project has moved into the advanced stage of concrete pouring and structural reinforcement.
The dam is not built on western river governed by the Indus Waters Treaty, but on the Swat river, a tributary of Kabul which originates in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains and flows into Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan is also the lower riparian country in the Indus basin with India.advertisementIndia's push to restrict Pakistan's access to the Indus waters has aligned with its outreach to Afghanistan's Taliban-led government.As per reports, India has also accelerated work on the Shahtoot Dam project on the Kabul river in Afghanistan. The dam construction came up during a conversation between External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and his Afghan counterpart during a call on May 15.The Shahtoot dam will hold 146 million cubic meters of potable water for 2 million Kabul residents and irrigate 4,000 hectares of land. It will also provide drinking water for a new city on the outskirts of Kabul called Deh Sabz.The project has raised alarm in Pakistan, which fears the dam could disrupt the Kabul river's flow and further cut water access. Since 2001, India has invested around $2 billion in Afghanistan's development, with Afghan experts calling the dam vital for future water security. But in Islamabad, officials view it as part of India's broader strategy to tighten control over Pakistan's water supply, especially by putting the IWT in abeyance.Pakistani media outlet Dawn has reported that the flow of the Kabul river could drop by 16 to 17 per cent after the completion of the Shahtoot Dam and other planned dams in the Kabul river basin.Must Watch
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