Indus water treaty on hold: Why India must also tackle environmental risks

India Today

30-04-2025

Day after the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam that killed 26, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) for the first time as tensions between India and Pakistan soared to an all-time high.'The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,' Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Wednesday.advertisementHailing the government's move as historic and justified, Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil said in a post on X, 'We will ensure that not even a drop of water from the Indus River goes to Pakistan.'
While the move will hit Pakistan, which is already facing extreme weather events, economic downturn and rising civil unrest, the suspension will have several environmental concerns in India as well.THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE INDUS RIVER BASIN Originating in the glaciers of the Kailash range near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, Indus flows in a northwestern direction, joining the Arabian Sea through Pakistan in the end.The basin drains an area of 11,65,500 km extending from China to India, and ending up in Pakistan. In India, it mainly covers the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), while its tributaries flow across Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.advertisementThe rivers Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas together make up the Indus River basin.
The present capacity of the reservoirs in India cannot hold excess water. (Photo: Getty)
WHAT IS INDUS WATERS TREATY?The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan and mediated by the World Bank over sharing of the water of the Indus River basin. Both countries are dependent on the rivers for irrigation and agriculture.Under the agreement, India was granted exclusive control over the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — while Pakistan was given rights over the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — despite their origins in Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir.The treaty has endured through wars and diplomatic breakdowns, but the recent attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of security personnel and civilians, appears to have redrawn the lines.
Under IWT India was granted exclusive control over the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. (Photo: Getty)
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS OVER SUSPENSION OF INDUS WATERS TREATYThe suspension of the treaty raises some concerns for India as well, primary among them being storage issues for the excess water.This would require construction of new dams, check points and reservoirs. The months of May to June witness rapid glacier melt from the Himalayan mountains as temperatures rise. This leads to overflow of the rivers.The present capacity of the reservoirs in India cannot hold excess water, thus making it difficult to divert to other regions due to a lack of infrastructure.Building reservoirs comes at a cost. It can damage the fragile terrain of the Himalayan region, displace local communities, increase the occurrence of earthquakes and landslides, and harm the delicate balance of the pristine ecosystem. According to reports released by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Himalayas could lose up to 80% of their glaciers by the end of this century, which would mean more water into the river systems.While the suspension of the treaty is an unprecedented and bold move by the government as it responds to the dastardly terror attack, the next steps involve serious logistical and environmental concerns that can't be ignored.
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