Key points
- Indus Waters Treaty grants Pakistan rights over River Chenab
- Water experts say India’s move violate international norms
- Planned diversion could drastically reduce Pakistan’s access to Chenab’s waters
LAHORE: In a move widely seen as a form of ‘hydrological warfare’, India has accelerated work on a river-linking project aimed at diverting the flow of the River Chenab to the Beas and Ravi rivers, raising grave concerns in Pakistan about its future water security.
Under the World Bank brokered Indus Waters Treaty, India was granted the use of water from three eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas and Ravi – while Pakistan was granted most of the three western rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
Water experts and regional analysts have denounced the project as a “blatant violation of international norms and the spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty.”
Impact on agriculture, ecology
The planned diversion, if completed, could drastically reduce Pakistan’s access to Chenab’s waters, severely impacting agriculture, ecology, and downstream communities.
Renowned water resources expert Engineer Arshad H Abbasi warned that the River Chenab faces an existential threat due to India’s proposed Gyspa Dam, which aims to divert the river’s flow towards the Beas River.
He urged the Government of Pakistan to act immediately to safeguard national water interests.
According to reports published by the Kashmir Media Service, the project — first introduced in India’s 2011–2012 budget — includes a 23-kilometre concrete tunnel connecting Chenab to the Solang Nullah in Himachal Pradesh, India, which flows into the Ravi River. This would enable India to reroute water towards the Ranjit Sagar Dam.
Direct affront
The initiative has been condemned as a direct affront to the Indus Waters Treaty.
On April 23, 2025, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam incident, India announced the suspension of the treaty, accusing Pakistan of supporting terrorism.
Experts, however, maintain that India does not hold the legal authority to suspend or terminate the treaty unilaterally.
Former Indus River System Authority (IRSA) member Rao Irshad Ali Khan stated that the Indus Water Treaty remains an internationally recognised and binding agreement.
Unilateral abrogation impossible
“Under Article 12(4), termination is only possible through the written consent of both parties. India cannot abrogate it unilaterally,” he stated. Khan also warned that if India attempts to defy the treaty, it would raise serious questions about its commitment to other international agreements.
Senior politician and former senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed echoed similar concerns, stating that India’s suspension of the IWT is “legally indefensible” and violates international law.
“India is using the Pahalgam incident as a cover to pursue a long-standing agenda of water aggression against Pakistan,” he said.
He urged the Pakistani government to raise the issue at the United Nations and with the World Bank, the treaty’s guarantor.
Strength and legitimacy
Mushahid added that the treaty had survived multiple wars and diplomatic crises over the decades, underscoring its strength and legitimacy. “India’s bypassing of treaty mechanisms — such as the Permanent Indus Commission, neutral experts, and arbitral tribunals — undermines the foundational principles of international cooperation,” he warned.
Adding to environmental and strategic concerns, Chenab — often called the Moon River — flows only 130 kilometres through Himachal Pradesh, covering just 7,500 square kilometres of its total 61,000 square kilometre basin.
Despite this, 49 hydropower projects are reportedly under construction on the river within Indian territory, putting immense ecological and geopolitical strain on an already fragile system.
