Afia Ambreen
- These dams are being built in shrewd violation of provisions in “Indus Water Treaty” signed between the two countries to ensure equitable
distribution of water resources. India is manipulating Indus Water Treaty (IWT) but Pakistan must not fall into the Indian trap by following a
two-pronged strategy. First, to pursue this case with full vigor, second, to utilize this breathing space to start building irrigation-cum-generation projects on the Indus River.
Recently, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa issued flood alerts after India released water into River Sutlej and Alchi dam. PDMA Punjab issued a flood alert due to rising water levels in River Sutlej after India released water into the river. Additionally, the PDMA KP director general said that India had opened the outlets of Alchi dam without preschedule which, he said could lead to a flooding situation in River Indus. Expressing deep concern over Indian attitude towards implementation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan said it would exercise all options to protect its rights given in the treaty. Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda pointed out in a statement that India was obligated under the treaty to provide information about extraordinary flood to Pakistan but had been failing to deliver on the treaty obligation despite repeated requests and reminders.
It is important to note that Pakistan’s commissioner for Indus waters, who was the regular channel of communication with India under the treaty, had conveyed serious concerns to his Indian counterpart for not honouring the international commitments. Pakistan’s Permanent Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Mehr Ali Shah told media that he was constantly conveying serious concern to his Indian counterpart over the matters hampering smooth implementation of the treaty. He alleged that India was reneging on about four key commitments relating to annual exchange of flood-related information, overdue visit to the Kishanganga hydroelectric project since 2014, fewer annual meetings and New Delhi’s reluctance to provide data on new projects.
Under the treaty, India is required to provide data in case of ‘extraordinary flood’ that it had been doing till 1988 floods. Because of the devastations cause by floods, the two sides signed an agreement in 1989 under which India has been providing advance flow data of Ravi, Sutlej and Bias rivers starting July 1 to Oct 10 every year irrespective of the extraordinary flood. The two sides had also agreed to share information about the locations, format, reservoir inflows and outflows and conservation level and India honoured it all along until 2018 under annual renewal of the agreement. However, New Delhi did not respond to repeated requests from Islamabad since March this year for renewal of the agreement an annual feature or exchange of information until July when it responded in writing that it would provide flood data only under the treaty i.e. only in case of extraordinary flood, thus practically reneging on its 29 year practice of providing regular three month data.
Pakistan has repeatedly raised questions over six new projects Kirthai I & II, Sawalkot, Keru, Bursar and Gipsa being envisaged by India for construction on the rivers dedicated to Islamabad on the pretext that the government had not yet taken a final decision on their construction. Pakistan has sought data about these projects. The treaty binds India to provide complete data regarding development of hydropower projects and dams six months before the start of construction on them. India is also required to facilitate a visit of Pakistani experts to the controversial Kishanganga hydropower project that it has been denying despite repeated requests since 2014. The two sides have been holding customary two meetings a year of the Permanent Indus Commission, but India has practically reduced their frequency to one a year at best. The last meeting due in May this year could not be held so far because of evasive attitude of the Indian side. Pakistani authorities said the unexpected release of water into River Sutlej, which flows from India to Pakistan, was part of an attempt by New Delhi to flout a longstanding treaty between the two neighbors.
India is currently constructing both the projects along with mega storages of water on Pakistan rivers with the designs which are completely breaching the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan had raised the three objections on Kishanganga project’s design saying that the poundage of the project is 7.5 million cubic meter which is excessive and it should be one million cubic meter. Pakistan also wants India to raise intake by up to 4 meters and also raise spillways up to 9 meters high. And on the issue of Ratle Hydropower plant, Islamabad raised four objections. Pakistan wants India to maintain free board at 1 meter whereas India wants to keep it at 2 meters. In addition India wants to keep the poundage of 24 million cubic meters but Pakistan wants the poundage should of 8 million cubic meters. Pakistan also wants the intake of the project should be raised by up to 8.8 meters and it spillways should be raised by up to 20 meters.
Relations between the neighbors have been deeply strained over India’s decision earlier this month to scrap the special status of its portion of Kashmir, which both countries claim. To conclude, intentions of India have never been favorable for Pakistan and Indians always tried to exploit Pakistan’s vulnerabilities and tried to destruct its economy by various instruments and the water dispute was also a part of it. The country is rapidly moving towards its target of making Pakistan totally barren by building dams on three major rivers Chenab, Jhelum and Indus flowing into Pakistan from the Indian side of the border. These dams are being built in shrewd violation of provisions in “Indus Water Treaty” signed between the two countries to ensure equitable distribution of water resources. India is manipulating Indus Water Treaty (IWT) but Pakistan must not fall into the Indian trap by following a two-pronged strategy. First, to pursue this case with full vigor, second, to utilize this breathing space to start building irrigation-cum-generation projects on the Indus River.
