Key points
- Water flows in Chenab decreases from up to 35,000 to about 3,100 cusecs
- India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty
- Pakistan warns stopping water flow “will be considered as an Act of War”
- Over 80pc of Pakistan’s agriculture depends on the Indus basin’s water
ISLAMABAD: India has almost entirely stopped the flow of the Chenab River into Pakistan, days after suspending the Indus Waters Treaty.
Since Sunday morning, the water flow has been throttled by almost 90 per cent of the usual volume that passes to Pakistan, according to Pakistan’s Indus River System Authority.
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty survived two wars between the nuclear rivals and was seen as an example of trans-boundary water management.
The treaty allocated the three eastern rivers – the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej – of the Indus basin to India, while 80 per cent of the three western ones – the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – to Pakistan.
“Act of War”
Pakistan’s National Security warned earlier that stopping water flow “will be considered as an Act of War”.
Disputes have flared in the past, with Pakistan objecting to some of India’s hydropower and water infrastructure projects, arguing they would reduce river flows and violate the treaty. More than 80 per cent of Pakistan’s agriculture and around a third of its hydropower depend on the Indus basin’s water.
Water flows in the Chenab, recorded at the Marala headworks, decreased from up to 35,000 cusecs on Sunday to about 3,100 cusecs on Monday morning, according to Dawn.
“They have almost blocked the River Chenab flows to downstream (Pakistan) after they (Indian authorities) decided on Sunday,” the newspaper reported, quoting a senior official of the Punjab irrigation department.
“Currently, they are using our water to fill up their dams/hydropower projects in the Chenab basin. They cannot do this since it is a grave violation of the Indus Water Treaty…,” the official deplored.
Chenab Basin
India reportedly has three major hydropower projects in the Chenab Basin. The first is the 1,000MW Pakal Dul Dam, having an 88,000 acre-feet reservoir storage capacity and a 10km head race tunnel to divert water south.
The second is the Baglihar Dam (88km from Pakal Dul upstream). This is a 900MW power generation plant, having a 321,002 acre-feet reservoir storage along with a spillway capacity of 582,692 cusecs.
Massive reduction
The third one is Salal Dam, located 78km from Baglihar, having an installed power generation capacity of 690MW along with 228,000 acre-feet reservoir storage and spillway capacity of 792,012 cusecs.
“From Salal Dam, Marala Barrage (in Pakistan) is situated 76km away. The reason behind the massive reduction in the flows is the filling of these dams, which have a total storage capacity of over 1.2 million acre-feet. And if they keep filling their dams and avert discharging, they (India) may leave us without water for four to five more days,” the official warned.
