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Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Indus Treaty suspension dries up key Pakistan dams
New Delhi: India's suspension of the Indus Water Treaty as part of several punitive measures against Pakistan has hit hard the agriculture sector in the neighbouring country with farmers there staring at a bleak kharif (summer crops) sowing season owing to major dip in live storage at its two key dams - Mangla on river Jhelum and Tarbela on Indus. The two dams play a crucial role in providing water for irrigation in Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan and generating hydropower. The situation is likely to further aggravate this month during early kharif sowing, officials said. Alarmed by the grave threat, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has tried to raise concerns at an International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation to draw global attention to India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. "India's unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin's water, is deeply regrettable," Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Sharif as saying. As per latest estimates by Pakistan's Indus River System Authority (IRSA), Pakistan is facing an overall shortage of 21% in water flow and around 50% in live storage of the two key dams. The IRSA in its statement "noted with concern" that the "sudden decrease in river Chenab inflows at Marala due to short supply by India would result in more shortage in early kharif season". India, however, has asked Pakistan to stop blaming it for the breach of the Indus Water Treaty. Addressing the plenary session of the first UN conference on glaciers in Tajikistan's Dushanbe on Friday, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said that Pakistan itself was violating the treaty through terrorism. "We are appalled at the attempt by Pakistan to misuse the forum and to bring in unwarranted references to issues which do not fall within the purview of the forum. We strongly condemned such an attempt," he said. Singh said it is an undeniable fact that there have been fundamental changes in circumstances since the Indus Waters Treaty was signed, which requires a reassessment of the treaty's obligations.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan hit by water crisis as Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance; Punjab worst-hit: Report
More than a month after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan, the neighbouring country has reported a drastic decrease in water. As per the latest data released by the Pakistani government, the water levels of the Indus and Jhelum rivers on Pakistan's side are running low. However, the Punjab province has been the worst-hit due to the "sudden decrease" in the inflows of the Chenab river. Based on the data from the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), the total availability of water in Punjab stands at 1,28,800 Cusecs on June 2, which is 14,800 Cusecs less than the water available last year. ALSO READ | Exposed by India globally over terror, Pakistan now dispatches delegations abroad Furthermore, IRSA added that the availability of water in the Indus River system in Punjab has declined by 10.3 pe rcent. The situation is expected to worsen as the southwest monsoon for Pakistan remains four weeks away. The water shortage in Pakistan's Punjab will have a direct impact on the summer crop season. Due to the limited availability of water, the province is bracing for irrigation problems amid severe summer heat. As per IRSA, "sudden decrease in river Chenab inflows at Marala due to short supply by India would result in more shortage in early kharif season". At the Tarbela and Mangla dams, Pakistan has reported a dip in water level as India continues to reduce water flow of the Indus rivers. As per an IndiaTV report, Mangla dam on the Jhelam river is currently left with less than 50 per cent of its fill level. Meanwhile, Tarbela dam on the Indus river stays slightly over 50 per cent. India has also stopped sharing water data with Pakistan has it continues to hold the 1960 treaty in abeyance. The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 divided the six key rivers of Indian after the partition of 1948. In this treaty, it was determined that the Western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab would be allocated to Pakistan, whereas the Eastern rivers of Ravi, beas ans Sutlej would be allocated to India. Under the IWT, India will continue to receive 20 per cent of the water from the Indus River system, while Pakistan retains 80 per cent. After the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen, India announced it will be suspending the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan admits its role and takes action against cross-border terrorism. In response to this, Pakistan stated that any act of stopping the water flow would be seen as an "act of war."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
How India has left Pakistan staring at a summer of dry fields
How India has left Pakistan staring at a summer of dry fields Team TOI Plus Jun 2, 2025, 19:02 IST IST Facing a 21% water shortfall, as per latest estimates by Pakistan's Indus River System Authority, the country's kharif sowing is in crisis with Chenab inflows down and dam reserves halved. With dams running dry and crops at risk, Islamabad is warning of a looming crisis Pakistan is bracing for a deepening water crisis just as its kharif (summer) sowing season begins, with water shortages triggered by plummeting river inflows from India, critically low levels in its two main reservoirs — Mangla and Tarbela — and the suspension of the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty ( IWT ). The Indus River System Authority (IRSA), Pakistan's apex water regulator, has sounded the alarm — an overall water shortage of 21% is already in effect, and canal supply cuts may intensify further in the weeks ahead.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Climate
- NDTV
Pakistan Faces Severe Water Crisis Amid Extreme Heat, Indus Waters Shortage
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Pakistan's Punjab faces a severe water shortage ahead of the kharif sowing season, with key dams running low and reduced inflows from India following a terror attack. The situation may worsen before the monsoon arrives, threatening agriculture and irrigation. Islamabad: Pakistan's Punjab province may be looking ahead to a tough kharif (summer crops) sowing season amid a major water shortage in its Indus River system, comprising the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. Islamabad has said that two of its key damns-- Tarbela on the Indus river and Mangla on the Jhelum river are running low on waters, while there has been a "sudden decrease" in Chenab River inflows after a short supply by India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. The latest data released by the Pakistan government shows that the availability of water in the Indus River System (inside Pakistan's Punjab province) has declined by 10.3 per cent as of 02 June, 2025, vis-a-vis 02 June, 2024. This situation may get worse in the coming weeks with the onset of the Southwest monsoon still at least four weeks away. According to Islamabad's Indus River System Authority (IRSA) -- which functions as a regulator to manage the distribution of water in the Indus River system inside Pakistan -- the total availability of water in Punjab province was just 1,28,800 Cusecs on June 2, 2025, which is 14,800 Cusecs less than the month of water available last year on the same say. This water shortage may prove catastrophic for farmers as the Kharif sowing season is underway, and the Southwest Monsoon is not likely to reach Punjab Province until the end of June, leading to irrigation problems amid extreme summer heat. This comes after Pakistan, last month, projected an overall water shortage of 21 per cent this summer and advised dam authorities and irrigation supply monitoring agencies to use water from reservoirs judiciously. Islamabad also projected a 50 per cent water shortage in live storage of the two key dams, which play a crucial role in providing water for irrigation in Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan and generating hydropower. The worsening crisis was probably what prompted Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to raise his concerns at a conference on glacier preservation in Tajikistan's Dushanbe last week, and draw global attention to India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. Indus Waters Treaty The water shortage in Pakistan is a likely fallout of India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance following the Pahalgam attack, which was attributed to Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism. The Treaty allocates the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. At the same time, it allows each country certain uses of the rivers allocated to the other. The treaty gives India 20 per cent of the water from the Indus River System and the rest 80 per cent to Pakistan. The attack in Pahalgam occurred on April 22 at Baisaran meadow, where terrorists targeted tourists, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen, and leaving several others injured. With the suspension of the treaty, India has stopped sharing the water level data in three rivers with Pakistan. This could prove catastrophic for Islamabad during Monsoons as India's early warnings about rising waters in the three rivers helped Pakistan issue timely evacuation warnings to people living in low-lying areas in Punjab and Sindh province.
News18
2 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Pakistan Stares At Crop-Sowing Crisis As India's Indus Treaty Suspension Dries Out Major Dams
Last Updated: Pakistan reportedly faces a severe water crisis with low dam levels, putting its kharif crop season on the danger. This comes as India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty. A couple of days after Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said Pakistan was violating the Indus Water Treaty through terrorism, a report has claimed the neighbouring country was in a crop-sowing crisis since dams there were drying out. According to a report with The Times Of India, water level in two key dams in Pakistan, Mangla on River Jhelum and Tarbela on Indus, are running low, driving Pakistan to stare at a bleak kharif sowing season. Following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, India announced the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty as part of several punitive measures against Pakistan. The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with the World Bank as a signatory, governs the sharing of the Indus River system's waters between the two countries. According to the report, the latest estimates by Pakistan's Indus River System Authority, the country is already facing an overall shortage of 21 per cent in water flow and nearly 50 per cent in live storage from the two key dams. The condition probably drove Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to say at the International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation that his country would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and endangering millions of lives for narrow political gains. 'India's unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin's water, is deeply regrettable," Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Sharif as saying. Last week, India reiterated that any engagement with Pakistan will only be bilateral; terror and talks cannot go together; and that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan 'credibly and irrevocably abjures" its support for cross-border terrorism. The Ministry of External Affairs' strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India's decisive 'Operation Sindoor', has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
