India Working To Exercise Rights Under Indus Treaty, Will Halt Excess Water Flowing To Pakistan

In light of China's controversial China-Pakistan Economic Corridor being built in the region, India's aspirations to fully utilise its share of water under the pact have strategic relevance.

Representative Photo

New Delhi: According to Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, India is working to exercise its rights under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 to halt excess water flowing to Pakistan and use it to cultivate its own areas.

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 by India and Pakistan after nine years of discussions, with the World Bank as a signatory.

The pact establishes a framework for collaboration and information sharing between the two countries in relation to the use of six rivers: the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum.

The minister while giving an interview said, “Apart from that, rivers which flow from our territory and go to Pakistan, what they have got as per the mandate of the Indus Waters Treaty, even there we have potential. One, we have the right to stop the water required to irrigate two lakh hectares of land, which we are working on to exercise our rights”, adding that they are on the lookout for a potential, putting it to use and making plans to realise it.

In light of China's controversial China-Pakistan Economic Corridor being built in the region, India's aspirations to fully utilise its share of water under the pact have strategic relevance.

Following the restructuring of the terror-hit state, India is speeding up additional strategically vital hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir, including the 850-megawatt (MW) Ratle, 800-MW Bursar, 1,000-MW Pakal Dul, 624-MW Kiru, and 540-MW Kwar in the Union territory.

Following Pakistan’s objections on the 850 MW Ratle, 1,000MW Pakal Dul, and 48MW Lower Kalnai hydroelectric projects on River Chenab, Shekhawat labeled the objections to be apprehension-based.

“Simultaneously, we can build and do run-of-the-river hydroelectricity projects on them. That is again our right given by the treaty. So, we are also working on that. When we work on the hydroelectricity potential and (on rivers such as) Kishanganga, then they have a problem that we will divert the water,” he added.