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Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Chenab surge worsens Indo-Pak water row
In a sudden and alarming development, India has significantly increased the inflow of water into the Chenab River, sparking concerns of water aggression against Pakistan. The move comes barely days after New Delhi unilaterally suspended the World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Express News reported on Tuesday. The Chenab river – one of the three western rivers allocated to Pakistan under the 65-year-old treaty – saw a drastic and abrupt surge in water flow. According to Express News, the inflow at Head Marala was recorded at just 3,100 cusecs at 9pm on Monday. By Tuesday, it had surged to 26,000 cusecs - a dramatic and unexplained increase within a matter of hours. Punjab Irrigation Minister Kazim Pirzada confirmed the "unnatural change" in the river's flow. "We have witnessed changes in the river [Chenab] which are not natural at all," Pirzada told AFP. "One day the river had normal inflow and the next day it was greatly reduced," he added. "The majority impact will be felt in areas which have fewer alternate water routes," he said about its impact. According to daily data shared by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), a total of 132,000 cusecs of water was released from various rim stations, while the inflow stood at 188,800 cusecs. The data also indicated that 7,700 cusecs of water was released from the Chenab River at Marala. The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT}, signed in 1960 between Pakistan and India, permits India to use the shared rivers for irrigation purposes but prohibits it from diverting watercourses or altering downstream flows. However, on April 23, India unilaterally suspended the treaty, citing Pakistan's alleged involvement in the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam. In response, Pakistan warned India that tampering with its rivers would be considered "an act of war". On Tuesday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar repeated the warning while speaking in the National Assembly. "Any attempt to divert Pakistan's water resources would trigger a strong response." On Monday, according to a Reuters report, India started "reservoir flushing" process at the Salal and Baglihar projects on the Chenab River in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The activity was carried out without informing Pakistan - a requirement under the IWT. The reservoir flushing process initially results in sediment-laden waters being released downstream from the reservoirs, potentially causing sudden inundation, followed by a reduced flow of water as the reservoirs are refilled. On Tuesday, according to an Indian newspaper report, the gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam were lowered to restrict water flow as a short-term punitive action. The Punjab irrigation minister said that this was being done "so that we don't get to utilise the water". Experts said the water cannot be stopped in the longer term, and that India could only regulate timings of when it releases flows. However, the Jinnah Institute warned: "Even small changes in the timing of water releases can disrupt sowing calendars (and) reduce crop yields". Meanwhile, according to another Reuters report, India advanced the start date of four under-construction hydropower projects in IIOJK by months. Quoting sources, the report said that the updated schedule was another sign of India trying to take advantage of its unilateral suspension of the IWT. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had asked authorities to clear hurdles to speedy construction of four hydro projects with a combined capacity of 3,014 megawatts, according to the document, an undated list made by the power ministry and reviewed by Reuters. In a speech in New Delhi, Modi said that water from IIOJK would be stopped from flowing across the borders. "India's water will be stopped for India's interests, and it will be utilised for India," he said. The four projects are Pakal Dul, 1,000 MW; Kiru, 624 MW; Kwar, 540 MW; and Ratle, 850 MW. All of them are on the Chenab River, whose waters are mainly meant for Pakistan. India's State-run NHPC is asked to start the work between June 2026 and August 2028, the document showed. Pakistan and India are already in dispute over Ratle in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The dispute is about the pondage, or small water storage area, the turbine design and some other specifications. In total, India wanted work expedited on a total of seven projects, the report stated. (WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)
Free Malaysia Today
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Pakistan accuses India of altering Chenab River flow
The Chenab is one of three rivers placed under Pakistan's control according to the Indus Waters Treaty. (AP pic) LAHORE : Pakistan today accused India of altering the flow of the Chenab River, one of three rivers placed under Pakistan's control according to the now suspended Indus Waters Treaty. This major river originates in India but was allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, signed by the two nuclear powers. India suspended the treaty following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people. Islamabad warned that tampering with its rivers would be considered 'an act of war'. 'We have witnessed changes in the river (Chenab) which are not natural at all,' Kazim Pirzada, irrigation minister for Punjab province, told AFP. Punjab, bordering India and home to nearly half of Pakistan's 240 million citizens, is the country's agricultural heartland, and 'the majority impact will be felt in areas which have fewer alternate water routes', Pirzada warned. 'One day the river had normal inflow and the next day it was greatly reduced,' Pirzada added. In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, large quantities of water from India were reportedly released on April 26, according to the Jinnah Institute, a think tank led by a former Pakistani climate change minister. 'This is being done so that we don't get to utilise the water,' Pirzada added. The gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam in Indian-administered Kashmir which lies upstream of Pakistani Punjab 'have been lowered to restrict water flow… as a short-term punitive action', a senior Indian official has told The Indian Express. The Indus Waters Treaty permits India to use shared rivers for dams or irrigation but prohibits diverting watercourses or altering downstream volumes. Indian authorities have not commented yet but Kushvinder Vohra, former head of India's central water commission, told The Times of India: 'Since the treaty is on pause… we may do flushing on any project without any obligation'. Experts said the water cannot be stopped in the longer term, and that India can only regulate timings of when it releases flows. However, the Jinnah Institute warned: 'Even small changes in the timing of water releases can disrupt sowing calendars (and) reduce crop yields'.
CNA
06-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Pakistan accuses India of altering Chenab River flow as tensions rise
LAHORE: Pakistan on Tuesday (May 6) accused India of altering the flow of the Chenab River, one of three rivers placed under Pakistan's control according to the now-suspended Indus Waters Treaty. This major river originates in India but was allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, signed by the two nuclear powers. India suspended the treaty following a on Apr 22 that killed 26 people. Islamabad warned that tampering with its rivers would be considered "an act of war". "We have witnessed changes in the river (Chenab) which are not natural at all," Kazim Pirzada, irrigation minister for Punjab province, told AFP. Punjab, bordering India and home to nearly half of Pakistan's 240 million citizens, is the country's agricultural heartland, and "the majority impact will be felt in areas which have fewer alternate water routes," Pirzada warned. "One day the river had normal inflow and the next day it was greatly reduced," Pirzada added. In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, large quantities of water from India were reportedly released on Apr 26, according to the Jinnah Institute, a think tank led by a former Pakistani climate change minister. "This is being done so that we don't get to utilise the water," Pirzada added. The gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which lies upstream of Pakistani Punjab, "have been lowered to restrict water flow ... as a short-term punitive action," a senior Indian official has told The Indian Express. The Indus Waters Treaty permits India to use shared rivers for dams or irrigation but prohibits diverting watercourses or altering downstream volumes. Indian authorities have not commented yet, but Kushvinder Vohra, former head of India's Central Water Commission, told The Times of India: "Since the treaty is on pause ... we may do flushing on any project without any obligation". Experts said the water cannot be stopped in the long term, and that India can only regulate the timings of when it releases flows.
Al Arabiya
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Pakistan accuses India of altering Chenab River flow as tensions rise
Pakistan on Tuesday accused India of altering the flow of the Chenab River, one of three rivers placed under Pakistan's control according to the now suspended Indus Waters Treaty. This major river originates in India but was allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, signed by the two nuclear powers. India suspended the treaty following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people. Islamabad warned that tampering with its rivers would be considered 'an act of war'. 'We have witnessed changes in the river (Chenab) which are not natural at all,' Kazim Pirzada, irrigation minister for Punjab province, told AFP. Punjab, bordering India and home to nearly half of Pakistan's 240 million citizens, is the country's agricultural heartland, and 'the majority impact will be felt in areas which have fewer alternate water routes,' Pirzada warned. 'One day the river had normal inflow and the next day it was greatly reduced,' Pirzada added. In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, large quantities of water from India were reportedly released on April 26, according to the Jinnah Institute, a think tank led by a former Pakistani climate change minister. 'This is being done so that we don't get to utilise the water,' Pirzada added. The gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam in Indian-administered Kashmir which lies upstream of Pakistani Punjab 'have been lowered to restrict water flow ... as a short-term punitive action', a senior Indian official has told The Indian Express. The Indus Waters Treaty permits India to use shared rivers for dams or irrigation but prohibits diverting watercourses or altering downstream volumes. Indian authorities have not commented yet but Kushvinder Vohra, former head of India's Central Water Commission, told The Times of India: 'Since the treaty is on pause... we may do flushing on any project without any obligation'. Experts said the water cannot be stopped in the longer term, and that India can only regulate timings of when it releases flows. However, the Jinnah Institute warned: 'Even small changes in the timing of water releases can disrupt sowing calendars (and) reduce crop yields'.
RTHK
06-05-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
India accused of tampering with Chenab water flow
India accused of tampering with Chenab water flow Sluice spillway gates on the Baglihar dam in Indian-administered Kashmir are said to have been lowered to restrict water flow. File photo: Reuters Pakistan on Tuesday accused India of altering the flow of the Chenab River, one of three rivers placed under Pakistan's control according to the now suspended Indus Waters Treaty. This major river originates in India but was allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, signed by the two nuclear powers. India suspended the treaty following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people. Islamabad warned that tampering with its rivers would be considered "an act of war". "We have witnessed changes in the river [Chenab] which are not natural at all," said Kazim Pirzada, irrigation minister for Punjab province. Punjab, bordering India and home to nearly half of Pakistan's 240 million citizens, is the country's agricultural heartland, and "the majority impact will be felt in areas which have fewer alternate water routes," Pirzada warned. "One day the river had normal inflow and the next day it was greatly reduced," Pirzada added. In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, large quantities of water from India were reportedly released on April 26, according to the Jinnah Institute, a think tank led by a former Pakistani climate change minister. "This is being done so that we don't get to utilise the water," Pirzada added. The gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam in Indian-administered Kashmir which lies upstream of Pakistani Punjab "have been lowered to restrict water flow ... as a short-term punitive action", a senior Indian official has told The Indian Express. The Indus Waters Treaty permits India to use shared rivers for dams or irrigation but prohibits diverting watercourses or altering downstream volumes. Indian authorities have not commented yet but Kushvinder Vohra, former head of India's Central Water Commission, told The Times of India: "Since the treaty is on pause... we may do flushing on any project without any obligation". Experts said the water cannot be stopped in the longer term, and that India can only regulate timings of when it releases flows. However, the Jinnah Institute warned: "Even small changes in the timing of water releases can disrupt sowing calendars [and] reduce crop yields". (AFP)
